Stained Glass Masquerade
by Ayamekashi
Summary: [COMPLETE] AU. Yuki is a biology teacher and Shuichi is his student. It's hate at first sight but..there exist a very thin line between love and hate.
1. Scene 1

**Disclaimer:** Gravitation belongs to Maki Murakami-sensei and not Aya-chan.

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**Scene 1-Only when no one is watching, do we really fall apart**

Shindou Shuichi was panicking.

It was only the first day of the second semester at his school and he was already late. As he hurriedly hoisted himself over the school gates, he lost his footing and fell. He had time to think "_Oh, crap_" before he crashed down.

"Ooof!"

"_ooof?" _Shuichi wondered. He looked under him and was met with a pair of catlike golden eyes. Shuichi was mesmerized. _"Those are some beautiful eyes…"__  
_

Yuki Eiri glared at the girly brat sitting on top of him. He was already in a lousy mood , having been forced to be at the academy and on top of that, he just had to get flattened when he was only innocently walking next to the wall, minding his own business. _"And what's with his hair? Is it supposed to be…Pink..?"_

"Hey, do you plan to sit on me forever?"

Shuichi jolted out of his daydream, embarrassed. He quickly scrambled off the mysterious stranger . "I'm really sorry about that! I was in a rush and the gates were locked and so I decided to jump ove-…"

Yuki snorted and interrupted Shuichi's ramblings, "Whatever, kid. Just remember that you'll pay for the cleaning of my suit." With that, Yuki walked away. Shuichi stared after the blond man in dislike for a moment. He had never met anyone as rude as him before. _"What an unpleasant person. I hope I never see him again..."_

Just then, the school bell rang.

Shuichi yelped, "Oh, no! Kawamura-sensei is going to kill me!" He grabbed his stuff that dropped when he fell and ran as fast as he could towards the school hall, his encounter with the rude blonde all but a distant memory.

XXX

Shuichi stared at the front of the class in horror. Earlier, he had managed to sneak into the classroom without getting caught because Kawamura-sensei wasn't in. He had thought it was odd that the gangster-like teacher would miss out on catching him late. He knew the reason now .

He mentally groaned, _"Why HIM of all people? Why?"_

The vice-principal was explaining the situation to class 3-A . "…..And so, Kawamura-sensei will be taking a long break to recover. Your new homeroom teacher will be Yuki-sensei here. Please be on your best behavior and……"

The students weren't listening.

The girls were excitedly whispering.

_"…Ne, ne! Don't you think he looks hot?"_

"…_Did he just look this way?"_

"…_You think he's married?"_

The guys were…not so excited.

"Aw man… Why do girls always dig older guys?"

That rhetorical grumble came from the red haired guy slumped in his seat next to Shuichi; Hiro, his perverted girl-crazy childhood friend.

The other guys seemed to have the same sentiment as Hiro, if their mutterings were anything to go by.

Yuki looked at the schoolgirls in distaste. "_I'm supposed to be teaching this bunch of twittering dimwits? Nothing but pure torture.. I don't want their brainless boyfriends to come accusing me of stealing their girls or whatever…"_

Yuki glanced through the classroom with disinterest. A shock of pink caught his attention. "_That hair looks familiar. Could it be…?"_

Shuichi glared when Yuki's eyes met his and stuck his tongue out before proceeding to send a mental message. _"Jerk."_

Yuki smirked inwardly when the defiant glare was sent along his way."_This could be fun,after all.." _

His mood improved, he willingly complied when the principal asked him to introduce himself. "Good morning to all of you , my name is Yuki Eiri and I will be teaching you biology…"

XXX

"I can't believe they fell for it!" Shuichi exclaimed in disbelief.

It was lunch time and he was eating with Hiro and Ryuichi, another childhood friend but from a different class. Hiro was busy lavishing his attention on food and was therefore, not paying attention to Shuichi .

Ryuichi raised his eyebrows. "Oh come on, I have Yuki-sensei as my biology teacher too and he's a pretty nice guy. I don't understand why you're so against him"

Shuichi was frustrated. "You see? That's what I meant. Even you believed his Mr. Nice Guy act! During class, he was like a totally different person than the one I met in the morning. He actually SMILED when the girls asked him questions. That face was made for scaring people, not _smiling_! I almost died from the shock of it all!"

Shuichi kicked Hiro's shin. "Say something! You were complaining earlier that he looked exactly like a playboy and should be locked away for the number of girls falling for him!"

Hiro half-mumbled his reply, still not bothering to look at Shuichi. "That was before I spoke to him. On further inspection, he's actually quite cool."

Ryuichi hastily cut in before Shuichi killed Hiro, "Maybe it WAS a different person you met this morning."

Shuichi nibbled his nibbled his lip uncertainly. "Maybe you're right."

Ryuichi beamed at Shuichi ."Now that it's solved, let's eat!" He practically _poured_ his entire collection of bunny-shaped junk food on the table and grinned happily, "Eat!"

Shuichi sweat dropped. "Um…No thanks..I think I'll go get some other foo-.."

Ryuichi wasn't about to let him get away so easily. "Is there something wrong with my food, _Shu-chan_?"

Shuichi gulped.

Escape plan, failed.

XXX

Classes ended more than two hours ago. Shuichi was lying down on the roof floor, hidden from view. He really didn't want to go home. He knew what awaited him there... Shuichi sighed, gazing up at the darkening sky. He couldn't dally for much longer...

"…….Those girls were so annoying. Did they actually think I could be interested in them? How foolish…"

Shuichi knew that voice . He jolted upright and as he did, bumped his head against the wall. The pain was searing. "Oww…."

Yuki was startled when he heard a knocking sound followed immediately with a groan He strode over to the source of the noise, breathing from his cigarette as he did. Shuichi was behind a row of planks, holding his head in his hands.

Somehow, Yuki wasn't surprised.

"Watching the clouds, are you?" Yuki's remark was sarcastic.

Shuichi's attention snapped to Yuki at once, all pain forgotten. He looked at Yuki's smirking face for a moment, trying to refrain from punching him._"I knew it was the same person! What a horrible personality. How did he manage to qualify as a teacher?"_

Shuichi then noticed the cigratte. "You're smoking in the school compund!" he exclaimed in shock.

Yuki waved his cigarette uncaringly. "Yeah, you want to try?"

Shuichi was stupefied as Yuki offered him the cigarette. "Thanks but no thanks. I don't want to die from lung cancer. Unlike _someone_," he pointedly added.

Yuki just gave Shuichi an innocent smile. "I see you've been listening in my class. I'm so proud of you!"

Shuichi felt like throwing up. "Stop that! It's disgusting. Wait till everyone finds out how you really are."

Yuki's smile disappeared instantly and his eyes gained a glacial look. This hard, cold expression suited Yuki a lot better. "Oh, but they won't. See, if they did, they would also find our that _someone_ was late for class today.

Shuichi cursed inwardly, "_Damm. My record has been pretty bad lately. Just being late is going to get me into a lot of trouble..."_

"Fine. I won't tell but people's going to discover it eventually. You can't pretend forever." With that, Shuichi grabbed his school bag and stomped off .

Yuki watched Shuichi go, his expression unreadable.

_You can't pretend forever._

Yuki snorted then sighed.  
"_You don't have to tell me that, brat. I already know."_

XXX

Shuichi trudged home, his mind still in jumbles.

_"That arrogant pig-head! Someday, someone is going to murder you in your sleep," _he cursed Yuki angrily.

"Shuichi!" A female voice called out harshly.

Shuichi felt a sense of dread. He had reached his house way too soon. His mother stood in the driveway, her eyes were flashing furiously.

She looked half-insane with spittle flying out of her mouth as she shouted, "Where have you been? It's already so late."  
"Hurry up! They have been waiting for so long! "

Shuichi knew who theywere. He knew what they were here for. And he didn't like it one bit.

"Shuichi! Quickly!" His mother caught hold of his arm and dragged him into the house.

As the door slammed shut, so did Shuichi's heart.

"_Somebody save me._."

"_Anybody…_"

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Hello, everyone! This is my first gravi fic. Hope you enjoyed it!  
Reviews are greatly appreciated. Please and thank you! heh heh. 


	2. Scene 2

**Luciver:** Thanks for reviewing! You're my precious first reviewer. .:grins happily:.**  
Kenzan:** Hmm, is Shuichi going to get hurt? Now, if I told you that, this wouldn't be a suspense story. Continue reading to find out! Thanks for reviewing. Well, I've always thought that Yuki would look cool in a lab coat so…Ta da! He's a biology teacher. Heh heh.  
**tamixaishiteru:** Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. Please keep on supporting me!  
**Em-chan15:** Thank you! The next update is here so maybe you'll figure out what's happening to Shuichi.Or not. Lol.  
**Kamiko-Miha:** Thanks for reviewing!

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**Disclaimer:** Yuki's sexy eyes do belong to Aya-chan. .:sighs:.

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**Scene 2-With walls around our weakness, and smiles to hide our pain**

Yuki was feeling annoyed.

It was Tuesday morning and he was giving lessons in class 3-A. All the students were paying rapt attention to his lecture. All except one anyway. _"Tsk, how dare that blob of pink hair fall asleep in my class! Too bad there's witnesses. I can't kill him here."_

Being unable to commit murder, he settled for waking Shuichi up.

Shuichi was feeling terrible.

Yesterday, they had been worse than usual. He couldn't get much sleep because of the pain and now he couldn't help dozing off in the classroom. _"How much longer am I going to have to take this? __I'm tired. And scared.. so very scared."_

Shuichi remembered what took place the night before and shuddered. He could remember their hands on him. Touching him. Making him touch them. And then-

"Shindou-kun, I feel hurt. Is my class really that boring?"

To the students, it looked as though Yuki had an indulging smile on his face.

Yuki held his plastic smile, and gritted his teeth when Shuichi didn't seem to hear him. He walked over to Shuichi's table and put his hands down on Shuichi's shoulders, getting an instant reaction.

Shuichi's head shot up from where he had been laying on the table and screamed hysterically, "Don't touch me! Go away…please don't touch me!…"

"Please don't hurt me..."

Yuki looked at Shuichi in shock. Shuichi had jerked back and was now cowering in his seat. Although Shuichi's last line came out as a whisper, Yuki heard it clearly.

_Please don't hurt me..._

Yuki was mystified. "_What the…Why would I hurt him? All I did was touch him…Does he hate me that much?"_

Yuki reached for Shuichi again. "Shindou-kun, are you feeling sick? Maybe you have a temperature."

Shuichi just sat trembling in his seat, mumbling over and over again to himself. His words were so soft, only Yuki heard them. "Please don't hurt me...I'll be good…so please…"

Hiro came over to Shuichi's seat; his bag slung over one shoulder and Shuichi's over the other. He soothingly calmed his friend down, "Shuichi, It's okay…No one's going to hurt you here…Come on, let's go."

Hiro helped Shuichi up and looked over to Yuki. "Sorry about that, Yuki-sensei. Shuichi's not feeling well. I'll bring him home now."

Yuki gave his consent and watched as Hiro supported Shuichi out. He said to Hiro, "Make sure he rests well."

Hiro nodded and left with Shuichi.

Yuki sighed. "_What was that all about?"_

He turned his attention back to the class. "Okay, guys. Show's over. Back to biology. As I was saying, nucleic acids are polymers consisting of nucleotides that are linked by phosphodiester bond. The nucleotides…"

As Yuki droned on, one of his students wasn't listening; he was concentrating hard on watching the way his lips moved, his body posture, his piercing eyes.

Yes, Yuki-sensei was perfect from her point of view.

Miaka wasn't in a very good mood though. _"I can't believe the nerve of that Shindou! Acting all weak to get Yuki-sensei's attention! Well, it doesn't matter. He'll pay if he gets too close to Yuki-sensei."_

She smirked maliciously

_"I'll make sure he does."_

XXX

Hiro kept glancing at Shuichi worriedly.

For as long as Hiro had known him, Shuichi had always been prone to start panicking whenever people touched him without warning. However, it was the first time Shuichi lost control during class.

He sighed. "_I've always figured that Shuichi's mom abuses him or something but…I don't know for sure-he refuses to talk about what's going on at his house. He says I'm over-imagining things but…Ryuichi and I noticed that he always has unexplainable bruises…"_

They continues walking in silence, both absorbed in their own thoughs.

Shuichi was mortified._"I can't believe I lost control like that! And in front of that jerk of a teacher too. He's going to have so much fun torturing me tomorrow…"_

At that thought, Shuichi groaned.

Hiro snapped out of his reverie, stopping when he heard Shuichi groan and looked at the other boy in concern. "What's wrong? Does something hurt?"

Shuichi stopped as well, embarrassed. "Nothing's wrong."

He fidgeted. "Hiro…sorry about what happened in class and…thank you."

Hiro shrugged. "No big deal. Hey, I got to play kooky!"

Although he would never admit it, he was feeling relieved that Shuichi seemed back to normal. "We're almost reached your house."

At that, Shuichi flinched. "…I don't want to go home."

After a moment, Hiro nodded. "Okay, I guess this means you're spending the night with me. Let's go get some food first then. My fridge's empty."

Shuichi was grateful. "Thanks, Hi-…"

Hiro interrupted Shuichi. "Oh, you're paying by the way. I didn't bring any money with me."

Shuichi stared at Hiro in horror. "What? No way! You eat A LOT . I'm gonna be broke!"

Hiro smirked. "Too bad, _chibi_."

"Don't call me _chibi_!"

"Yeah, yeah…whatever," came the nonchalant reply.

"You _erro kappa!_"

Chaos ensued as the duo disturbed the peace of the neighborhood with their squabbling.

XXX

The next morning, Yuki was teaching class 3-A in the biology lab.

Both Shuichi and Hiro were absent.

Yuki's class was having a tutorial session. A group of girls were asking him questions regarding homework, their intention glaringly obvious._"Don't they have better things to do than pretend they don't understand my lecture? They're wasting my time."_

"Sorry we're late, sensei!"

Shuichi and Hiro burst into the classroom, both panting madly.

Shuichi pointed at Hiro. "It's his fault we're late."

Hiro glared at Shuichi, indignant. "Hey, it wasn't my fault that the alarm clock didn't work, okay!"

Shuichi retorted, "It wasn't that it didn't work! You turned it off the moment it started ringing!"

"That's because I was so tired! You kept me up all night, you know…"

Yuki stood in front of the classroom, eyebrow twitching. "_Are they ignoring me…? __Geez, he made me feel so worried and now he's late doing who-knows-what with Hiroshi…"_

Wait a minute.Worried?

Yuki ignored that thought. "Will the both of you kindly take your seats?"

Funny how Shuichi was the only one who felt the invisible ice daggers.

He shivered.

XXX

Miaka was filled with hate and jealousy. Yuki had asked Shuichi to stay back.

She was rushing to her next class, mind swirling with vengeful ideas. "_How did Shindou do it? Alone with just Yuki-sensei in the lab…__I would kill for a chance like that!"_

She slammed her locker shut. "_Shindou Shuichi…I'll make sure you regret sucking up to Yuki-sensei!"  
_  
"_Just you wait."_

XXX

Yuki was enjoying himself. Oh yes, he was.

"….And after you're done with that, wipe all the window panes and clean the sinks…Oh, you can do whatever you want with the rubbish . Just make sure everything looks neat and representable. And when you're done, clean the…"

Shuichi was beside himself with fury. The blonde jerk had made him stay back to clean the lab out as punishment for being late.

"How come only I have to do this? Hiro was late too,"Shuichi protested.

Yuki gave a sadistic grin. "Ah, but you see, this is the _second_ time you're late. Or have you forgotten, _Shu-chan_?"

Shuichi really wanted to throw something at Yuki's pretty face. Preferably something that would leave a scar. "Don't call me Shu-chan!" was the best argument he could muster.

Unknown to both of them, they had a spectator.

Tohma Seguchi watched the banter between Yuki, his brother-in-law and a furious looking pink-haired boy. He was amazed.  
"_Eiri isn't pretending to be nice."_

Yuki noticed Tohma at the doorway.He picked up his briefcase and strode over to Tohma, ruffling Shuichi's hair on the way. "See you around, brat. And make sure you clean up properly…That is, unless you want more punishment."

With a beatific smile, Yuki closed the lab door and left with Tohma.

Shuichi stared at the door in outrage. "_Is he trying to kill me with an overload of work?"_

He looked around the lab, wondering where to start.

He caught sight of some paper. "_A-hah! He left his documents behind."_

As an idea formed in Shuichi's head, he snickered.

Revenge is sweet.

XXX

Yuki and Tohma were having coffee at a nearby café.

Tohma surveyed Yuki from beneath his hat. "Mika is worried about you. "

Yuki only grunted in reply, "She always is."

Tohma shook his head slowly. "Eiri, you don't have to do this. You don't have to listen to your father's wishes all the time. Why don't you just live your life lthe way you want to?"

Yuki's tone was icy. "What I do is my own business. Keep out of it."

Tohma sipped his coffee, inwardly sighing. He already knew Yuki would say that..

Yuki's heart was locked to everyone. People generally viewed Yuki as a pleasant yet distant man. Only his family knew his true personality. Yuki had no friends.

Tohma suddenly remembered the pink-haired youth he had seen bickering with Yuki earlier. Yuki had been able to behave like his true self.

Tohma commented to Yuki, "I see you're pretty close to that student of yours."

Yuki stared at Tohma incredulously. "_Has he finally lost his sanity? Close to someone? ME?"_

"Shuichi? Of course not! What made you say that?"

Tohma observed Yuki's expression carefully. "You sure looked comfortable with this Shuichi. You didn't bother putting up your pleasant act in front of him."

Yuki was stupefied. "Well, you looked wrong! He's just an ordinary school brat!"

"I see," was all Tohma said.

Yuki fumed. Tohma obviously didn't believe him.

Well, Tohma was wrong.

Yuki wasn't close to Shuichi. Yuki wasn't comfortable with Shuichi. And Shuichi was most definitely not special to Yuki.

Yuki nodded vehemently.

Tohma was so very wrong.

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There! My second chapter is done.Phew, this sure took a long time...By the way, Miaka is a made-up character who's obessesed over Yuki. Hope you guys like it!And as always, please review. 


	3. Scene 3

**shimmy shimmy quarter turn:** Thanks for reviewing, I love them too!  
**Elfish Etyma:** Is my format weird? Hmm…oh well, thanks for reviewing!  
**Kenzan:** Yuki would look so dreamy in a lab coat… .:drools:.  
**lazy fat kitsune:** I'm supposed to be doing my assignments too but…my muse won't let me go!  
**Daisuke Captain Oblivious:** Shuichi is a pretty fun torture object, isn't he? Heh heh..  
**Luciver:** I love Saiyuki! Don't you think Hiro sort of resemble Gojyo? With his red hair and all…About that question, you'll have to continue reading to find out!  
**Assjuice, Saki Hana , Bleedingbitch, Kamiko-Miha, DemonicDragon666, Loveless19:** Thanks a whole bunch! Your reviews keep me going.  
Here's chapter 3 for you guys!

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**Disclaimer:** If Gravitation belonged to me, Yuki would be allowed to angst only once a day.

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****

**Scene 3-With a painted grin, I play my part again**

It took Shuichi hours to clean up the biology lab. By the time he started for home, night had already fallen. He wearily walked home, dragging his feet. As he neared his house, he noticed something strange.

_"That's weird. Why are all the lights off? Maybe mother went out…"_ At that thought, Shuichi's heart lightened a little.

When he unlocked the door though, Shuichi immediately caught a whiff of alcohol. A familiar sense of dread swept through his entire body.

His mother's boyfriend was drinking in the darkened living room, obviously stoned.

When his blood-shot eyes caught sight of Shuichi, he beckoned Shuichi over. "There you are, boy. Come."

He licked his lips hungrily. "You've kept me waiting long enough."

As he stripped Shuichi of his clothes and repeatedly violated him, Shuichi didn't make a sound, just closed his eyes and prayed for it to be over.

"_Please God, if you exist, just let me die."_

XXX

Yuki was driving home after having dinner with Tohma.

He wondered if Shuichi was done cleaning the biology lab. He was kind of hoping Shuichi had rebelled and refused to clean the lab. If he did, Yuki would have the pleasure of thinking up another punishment for him. At that, Yuki couldn't help chuckling.

"_Hang on, did I just CHUCKLE?" _Yuki was horrified, "_why am I even thinking about him in the first place?"_

_I see you're pretty close to that student of yours._

Tohma's words bounced around in his head.

"I must be getting senile." Yuki muttered to himself.

As he was driving past the park near his house, he saw that there was no one there except for a lone person. Yuki slowed his car down and took a closer look.

It was Shuichi.

_"What's he doing here?"_ Yuki got out of his car and silently walked closer, observing Shuichi.

XXX

Shuichi sat on the bench under a dim streetlight, body hurting all over

His mother's boyfriend had fallen into a drunken stupor after satisfying his lust and Shuichi had taken advantage of that to sneak out of the house.

He blankly watched the flashing lights of passing cars, lost in thought "_Why did things have to turn out this way?"_

Shuichi remembered a time in the past; a happier time. Back when his mother actually loved him.

When he was younger, his mother always sang for him. She had a sweet voice and there was one song she particularly loved. Recalling the song, Shuichi started to sing, caught up in the memory of the distant past.

XXX

Yuki looked on in surprise when Shuichi started singing. "_Who knew that kid had a talent for singing? __His voice is really good…"_

When Shuichi ended his song, Yuki was shocked to discover that he wanted Shuichi to continue singing…wanted Shuichi to sing for _him._

Yuki hurriedly stumbled back to his car. "_No way…I couldn't have just thought that I wanted that brat to sing for no one but me. __That almost sounds like…like I'm in love with him."_

Trying to convince himself that it was Tohma's influence causing those weird thoughts, Yuki drove away without looking back.

XXX

Shuichi looked around him in confusion. He could have sworn he felt someone watching him.

Seeing no one, Shuichi went back to his thoughts. "_Oh well…guess it was just my imagination. __I feel better now, though. That song really brings back some memories…"_

Shuichi sighed, "Mother…"

"Shuichi! Who allowed you to leave the house!"

As if she was summoned, Shuichi's mother stood in front of him.

_"Oh, no! I lost track of time and stayed out too long!"_

"We'll just have to discipline him now, don't we?" The rough voice came from behind him.

Shuichi froze, not daring to turn around. His mind screamed, "_Not again, please not again…"_

The brute loomed nearer, his lips twisted into a sadistic smirk as he whispered into Shuichi's ear. _"You've been a bad boy. And bad boys need to be punished."_

There was no one else to turn to. Shuichi looked helplessly at his mother, eyes begging for rescue. His mother's face's was cold and uncaring, there was no salvation to be found there.

Shuichi dully resigned himself to the promised night of pain.

XXX

The next morning, Yuki reached school early. None of the students had arrived yet.

He was missing some documents. "_Probably left them in the lab yesterday."_

Yuki was curious to see if Shuichi had actually followed his instructions and cleaned the lab the way he ordered him to.

He inspected the biology lab in amazement._"The kid cleaned the place really well…the windows are actually sparkling…"_

As he made his way to the teacher's table, Yuki felt somewhat disappointed that he lost a chance to give Shuichi more punishment.

"_Or not."_

Yuki stared at the neatly stacked pile on the table. He wasn't quite sure if he should feel outraged or amused.

Shuichi had folded _all_ his documents into paper cranes.

…_do whatever you want with the rubbish.._

Recalling what he had said to Shuichi, Yuki couldn't fight it anymore-amusement won.

Yuki smirked.

"Okay, Shuichi. You got me good this time."

XXX

Shuichi found it difficult to move around. His whole body was stiff. Despite that, Shuichi forced himself to go to school; anywhere was better than his house.

As he entered the classroom, Shuichi was surprised to see someone already there. He had thought he was the earliest.

"So…My documents look like rubbish, eh?"

"_Oh, crap!"_

Shuichi gulped. "Um…heh heh heh…?"

XXX

Yuki was tapping his right foot with his arms crossed, a maniacal grin plastered to his face.

Although he had no lessons with Shuichi's class today, he decided to drop by to have a little…_chat _with Shuichi. While nervously emitting a chuckle, Shuichi reached up to sheepishly scratch his head.

And that was when Yuki saw the huge bruise.

"What happened to your hand?"

XXX

_"Oh no, he saw it"_

Shuichi automatically tugged down his sleeve, effectively blocking the bruise from Yuki's view.

"It's nothing."

"That doesn't like nothing. What happened?"

"I fell down."

Shuichi mentally groaned._ "That's so lame! He's never gonna fall for it. Now what?"_

Yuki's eyes narrowed.

Just then, the school bell rang. Student's streamed into the classroom, happily chattering. Yukino-sensei trailed behind, it was time for her English class.

Seeing Yuki, she asked, "Can I help you with something, Yuki-sensei?"

"No...No, it's nothing." Yuki had no choice but to leave.

Yukino-sensei clapped her hands to get the class's attention. "Settle down, class! I'm taking the attendance now."

Shuichi thankfully sank into his seat.

"_Saved by the bell."_

_

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_ Here's chapter 3. Enjoy and don't forget to review! heh heh


	4. Scene 4

**­Kenzan:** Thanks! I should be studying too though… T.T  
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**--:** Yes, you're right! I took her name from Fushigi Yuugi. She annoys me… sorry Miaka fans! (If there are any anyway…)  
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**Disclaimer:** Oh, come on. If I had total control over Gravitation, I would pair Yuki up with myself.

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**Scene 4-If I can make them all believe it, maybe I'll believe it too**

As Yukino-sensei monotonously explained the importance of English literature, Miaka was busy thinking up '_101 Ways to Get Away With Killing Shindou Shuichi_."

Miaka glared at Shindou's back from her seat. She had earlier entered the classroom with some other girls to find him alone with Yuki-sensei.

Again.

Miaka had enough. It was time to teach Shindou a lesson.

XXX

Shuichi was wondering if he should skip Yuki's class_. "I managed to avoid him on Friday and then it was the weekend so I didn't have to see him but now…it's Monday again…how am I supposed to evade him?"_

Unfortunately for Shuichi, Yuki entered the lab at that moment.

_"Guess I can't escape now…I hope he forgot about what he saw…"_

XXX

Yuki was gratified to see Shuichi present. He knew Shuichi had been avoiding him_. "If he thinks I'm going to forget about that bruise, he's going to have to think again.  
Fell down…yeah right, he must have fallen at a pretty interesting angle to get an injury there…" _

Yuki addressed the class in a brisk tone. "Okay people, I want you to remember that we're dissecting rats today, not humans. Try to avoid mutilating yourself. The first thing to do is…" Yuki continued giving instructions.

XXX

Shuichi was busy slicing and dicing his rat, doing his utmost best to avoid meeting Yuki's eyes. He was really beginning to wish he didn't take biology.

_"Can't he stop looking in this direction? It's so…distracting…"_

_"Stop already!"_

_"…………………"_

_"…He really has stalker potential in him…"_

At that thought, Shuichi viciously stabbed his rat.

Hiro had been separating his rat's guts bit by bit, enjoying himself immensely. He looked up. "Whoa, are you planning to have minced rat?"

Shuichi just made a face at him and carried of stabbing and slashing.

_"Why, oh WHY does he like picking on me so much?"_

Stab.

_"Sometimes, I really feel like tripping him accidentally-on-purpose or something."_

Slash.

_"Why do I keep thinking about Yuki anyway?"_

Stab.

_"Wait- did I just call him YUKI!"_

Slash.

"OW!"

XXX

Yuki saw it coming.

He had been observing as Shuichi savagely jabbed his poor, innocent, albeit dead, rat. Just as Yuki was about to warn him to be careful, Shuichi stabbed too hard and ended up slashing his own hand instead.

_"That fool!" _

Yuki hurried towards Shuichi.

XXX

Shuichi stared at his own blood uncomprehendingly. His classmates started gathering around him, anxious.

"…What just happened?"

"Are you alright, Shindou-kun?"

"…Looks painful…"

Hiro examined Shuichi's hand critically. "This looks pretty deep. Maybe you should go to the infirmary…I'll take you th-…"

Yuki cut in curtly, "I'll bring him there myself. Shindou, lets go."

Shuichi didn't want to go. And absolutely not with Yuki. To him, the pain was nothing. Why should it bother him? After all, he had experienced much worse before. But…classmates hovered around him, about to kick up a fuss. Not wanting to make a scene, he nodded acquiescently and allowed Yuki to lead him out of the lab.

Hiro stared in bewilderment as Shuichi followed Yuki-sensei out of the lab with a reluctant expression.

_"Did something happen between Shuichi and Yuki-sensei…?"_

XXX

In the infirmary, Yuki looked around._ "Looks like the doctor isn't around…I'll just do it myself then."_

Shuchi stood at the doorway, looking uncertain. Yuki impatiently gestured Shuichi to sit down, eyes scanning through the medicine cupboard.

Shuichi sat on the edge of a chair, peering at Yuki suspiciously._"He better not be trying to poison me…"_

Finding what he was looking for, Yuki pulled a chair facing Shuichi and sat down, grabbing Shuichi's hand for inspection. 

Shuichi couldn't help flinching a little when Yuki suddenly took his hand. Thankfully, he managed to control his growing panic. He knew Yuki was only going to treat it and meant no harm but still… _"I hate skin contact…it's like a conditional reflex to pull back when someone touches me…Hopefully, Yuki didn't notice…"_

Yuki felt Shuichi jerk his hand back a little-he chose to ignore it.

Awkward silence filled the air as Yuki cleaned the wound. Before long, it was done.

"There, it's done," Yuki announced as he neatly pinned the bandage, "it's best if you rest. Get your things and meet me at the car park. I'll send you home."

Shuichi was thankful to do as Yuki ordered. He hastily left the infirmary.

_"Finally, escape! Yuki didn't ask about the bruise. He probably forgot about it."_

As he neared the biology lab, Shuichi slowed down.

_"Yeah, that's right...he's probably forgotten all about a little thing like that…"_

He didn't understand-he should be happy that Yuki didn't pester him but…at the thought that he had forgotten all about it made Shuichi feel somewhat…disappointed.

_"How strange…"_

XXX

Yuki mechanically tidied up the infirmary, deep in thought.

Earlier on, he had wanted to ask Shuichi about his injury but while treating his wound, Yuki noticed that there were other bruises that he hadn't seen before_. "Funny thing about them is…they're all at different stages of healing. Meaning that he has been getting fresh bruises often…"_

Yuki took off his lab coat and loosened his tie, sighing out loud, "What's going on, Shuichi?"

XXX

_"So this is why Shuichi was in the park that night…who knew we lived so close together?"_

Yuki was driving Shuichi home in silence. He had been surprised when Shuichi told him his address.Yuki and Shuichi were practically neighbors, only a street separated them.

Shuichi gazed out of the car window. He had tried his best to talk Yuki into letting him walk but he wouldn't hear of it. Shuichi didn't want him to send him home-there was a chance Yuki might bump into his mother.

Shuichi was very against anyone discovering the truth. If Yuki were to ever find out, Shuichi knew he would want to die.

XXX

Shuichi quickly got out of Yuki's car. "Thanks, Yuki-sensei."

_"Hurry, please hurry up and go before she comes…"_

Yuki seemed to choose his words carefully before speaking. "Shuichi…is anything wrong?"

Shuichi blinked_. "Wha…?"_

"Yuki-sen-…"

Shuichi was interrupted by a high-pitched shriek. "SHUICHI! What are you doing skipping school?"

Shuichi wished a black hole would just appear on the pavement and swallow him up._"No! Why did she have to some home now? Is there a demon lord taking revenge on me or something?"_

Shuichi's mother and her boyfriend came up to Shuichi. They noticed Yuki in his car and stopped. "Who is this man?"

Shuichi nervously introduced them. "Mother, this is my homeroom teacher, Yuki-sensei; Yuki-sensei, this is my mother and her boyfriend, Nanri and Ryouji."

XXX

That night, Yuki was marking some test papers. "Wrong…wrong …wrong…and…wrong," he muttered to himself.

That's it. He gave up.

_"Don't these brainless idiots EVER listen in my class?"_

Yuki took off his glasses and massaged his temples, brows furrowed. His mind wandered back to his first encounter with Shuichi's mother and her _boyfriend_. He hadn't liked either one of them.

Shuichi's mother seemed to be very strict on Shuichi, judging by the tone of her voice when she thought Shuichi had been playing truant. But even so…she had over-reacted. After all, there had been no need to bodily haul Shuichi into the house. And she did just that even after Yuki had explained the situation to her.

_"Almost insane, even…"_

As for that boyfriend of hers…well, he didn't like the way his eyes seemed to linger on Shuichi. He didn't like it at all.

_"Shindou Nanri and Shunsuke Ryouji…"_

Yuki continued contemplating on them, exam papers forgotten.

It was almost funny the way Yuki didn't seem to realize how bothered he was about Shuichi's welfare.

XXX

Shuichi lay on his bed in his room, staring up at the ceiling_. "Well, that went well. Now Yuki knows my mother and her boyfriend, and they know him. Wonderful, we can start inviting him over for dinner to play 'Happy Family.'"_

The only good thing that happened today was that Shuichi's mother had gone out with them tonight.

Shuichi was enjoying a rare night of peace and solitude_. "What a miserable life. I can still remember…the day all this began...Has it really been ten years already?_

Shuichi closed his eyes.

-Approximately ten years ago- 

_A trembling seven-year-old Shuichi crouched behind the couch, hiding._

_"Shuichi! SHUICHI! Come out this instant!"_

_Shuichi shook his head unseen , denying the voice._

_This couldn't be his mother. Mother had a sweet, gentle voice. Mother always smiled at him and took care of him when he was sick. This harsh voice is not Mother's. _

_It's not!_

_"There you are!" A large man roughly dragged Shuichi out of his hiding place._

_"OVER HERE!" He hollered to the others._

_A group of men ringed around him._

_Shuichi was scared. He didn't like the creepy expressions on their faces. He tried to push his way past them to no avail, they were just too strong for his skinny arms to resist._

_Hands grabbed at him. Pulled his clothes off. Pushed him down._

_Little Shuichi looked around for his mother, struggling wildly._

_There! _

_She was standing at the doorway, watching._

_"Mother!"_

_She turned away, didn't look back._

_"Help me!"_

_She closed the door. The slamming sound was final._

_"MOTHER!"_

_Shuichi tried to fight them off. Tried to run. He tried and managed to break free once. Only to instantly get caught again._

_The men laughed. One man leaned in closer, catching Shuichi's arms in an iron grip as he flailed about desperately. "Little boy," His breath was hot and heavy against his ear. It felt disgusting. "Shall we teach you the ways of pleasuring men?"_

_And that was when Shuichi first met the repeating nightmare that would haunt him for all his life._

-Back to the present- 

Shuichi opened his eyes again.

The day it happened, he had just moved into his current home. Shuichi couldn't remember much of his life before then but he was sure of one thing.

He had no father. It had always been just Mother and him. Until her boyfriend showed up. Until they appeared, frequently visiting just to mercilessly rape him over and over again.

His hatred for them was deep-seated but he hated his mother's boyfriend most of all. After all, his mother first started to behave strangely after she met him and it wasn't long before her entire personality became twisted.

The only emotion Shuichi felt more strongly than hate was fear.

Shuichi sighed and rolled to his side.

After the first time, his mother frequently brought men home. Brought them home whenever she needed money-she had rented her only child off as a common prostitute.

The only thing that changed about those men were their names.

Everything else was the same.

Their hungry lust was the same, the things they made him do were they same, the pain and suffering they forced him to endure were the same.

They were _all_ they same.

Shuichi had trained himself to view them as faceless demons-making them seem more distant and impersonal made his constant torture more bearable.

It made him feel better. Not by much but at least a little. Enough to keep him sane.

Shuichi shook those dark thoughts away_. "Enough, I better start doing my homework…after all, I DID flunk Yuki's stupid surprise test…"_

Shuichi sat at his desk and rummaged for his books. As he took them out of his bag, a letter slid out from between them._"Huh, what's this? A love confession?"_

He read the letter, feeling curious.

SHINDOU SHUICHI,

GO AND DIE!  
I"VE ALWAYS HATED YOU.  
WITH YOUR PINK HAIR AND GIRLY FACE, YOU MAKE ME SICK.  
STOP SEDUCING YUKI-SENSEI!  
STAY AWAY FROM HIM, YOU BASTARD!  
YUKI-SENSEI IS MINE!

_"Definitely not a love confession."_

Shuichi was shaken. Yuki and…him?

* * *

Okay, that wraps up chapter 4.After uploading this chapter over and over again, I _FINALLY _managed to get it to behave nicely with no weird spacing and stuff! .:cries with joy:. Anyway, please review!  
Thanks! 


	5. Scene 5

**Assjuice**: Why, thank you! Update's here! Heh heh.  
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* * *

**Disclaimer:** Ayame does not own Gravitation. If she did, Shuichi would be tortured beyond the normal human limit.

* * *

**Scene 5-Would it set me free if I dare to let you see?**

Things were pretty quiet the first few weeks after Shuichi received his first ever hate letter. As Yuki didn't question Shuichi on either his injuries or his mother, and Shuichi didn't care to explain, the tension between them -if any at all- eventually dissipated. Yuki went back to picking on Shuichi when he thought no one was watching and Shuichi went back to putting maximum effort at annoying Yuki; both succeeded very well in their respective objectives. Best of all, Shuichi's mother had followed her boyfriend to Kyoto to do who knows what; Shuichi wasn't interested in finding out.

However, following the rules of Shuichi's life, peace –naturally- did not grace him with its presence for long.

"Ouch!" Shuichi instantly pulled his hand away from the book, sucking his finger.

Lunch break was over and his math's class was starting now. Shuichi figured it was part of his life to find sharp blades cleverly hidden within the pages of his textbook at least once.

Shuichi felt more irritated than intimidated by whomever it was that had been playing cruel pranks on him. Oh yes, even he was smart to know that it was a s_omeone_ that was to blame for making his already miserable life even more miserable. After all, _anyone_ would know after having their books coincidentally go missing just when they needed them most, or finding their shoes taking a swim in a slimy toilet bowl, or glue magically smeared all over their chair, or -the list just when on.

At first it had been little, harmless pranks and so, Shuichi ignored them. Lately though, they had been getting more vicious.

"_Whatever." _Shuichi was practically immune; in his opinion, his mother's boyfriend posed a _slightly_ more serious problem.

XXX

The bell couldn't have ringed sooner. The students, joyful that it was Friday, cheerily left the class, chattering happily as they did.

"Shuichi! What's going on?" Hiro and Ryuichi worriedly looked at Shuichi where he was plucking out rusty nails from his shoes with a bored expression.

Shuichi shook his shoes to make sure none were left and casually slipped them on. "Nothing much. At least, nothing worth worrying over."

"But, Shu-…"

"Hey, let's go eat! I'm hungry. Your treat, Hiro!" Shuichi poked Hiro, attempting to distract them.

"Sorry Shuichi. I have a date today."

"_Ehhh_? Again? With who this time?"

Hiro smiled sheepishly. "Same as last time, Ayaka."

Shuichi was in shock. _"Did Hiro just BLUSH?"_

"Congratulations Hiro! You've evolved from being an immature, weird, insensitive, moronic-…"

"…Sounds like you're describing yourself…"

"_Hey!_"

Ryuichi watched Shuichi and Hiro exchanged insults. He wasn't fooled; Shuichi had some explaining to do.

XXX

"I'm full already…" Shuichi gazed at his strawberry Pocky sadly, "but I still want to eat…why was I cursed with such a tiny stomach?"

Ryuichi, walking next to Shuichi as they strolled through the park, only shook his head incredulously. "Shuichi, you had two bowls of _ramen_. _Two_. Not to mention the extra large _okonomiya_…it's a miracle you didn't throw up."

Shuichi wasn't listening to him; he had spotted a nearby swing. He dragged Ryuichi towards it and started swinging. "Push me higher, Ryuichi! Higher!"

As exasperated as he was, Ryuichi couldn't help feeling amused. Shuichi was such a kid sometimes… _"Oh well…at least it's almost night. There's no one here to witness two high school boys behaving like five-year-olds." _

"Higher!"

Ryuichi obliged and obediently pushed Shuichi higher.

_Up._

Shuichi squealed happily.

_Down._

He closed his eyes, enjoying the gust of wind.

_Up._

Ryuichi figured this was the best time to wring the truth out from Shuichi. "Hey…Shuichi…"

_Down._

"Yea?"

_Up._

"…Is there something going on that you need help with? I mean…you always seem so troubled…."

_Down._

"…"

"It's nothing I can handle. Thanks for asking anyway. It's good to have a friend like you."

_Up._

Ryuichi was getting angry. What did Shuichi mean by that? How was he supposed to be a good friend if he was so unreliable that Shuichi couldn't even share his problems? He had let Shuichi evade his probing for far too long; it was time to put his foot down. "Shuichi, I've seen your bruises…and I want to know what they mean."

_Creak._

XXX

Shuichi was aghast_. "No! Ryuichi knows about them? I can't let him find out what's happening. I cant! He and Hiro will be so disgusted, they'll never want to speak to me again…wait –does Hiro know too?"_

As the swing creaked to a sudden stop, Shuichi kept silent for a moment, his back facing Ryuichi. "Does Hiro know?" The voice that finally sounded was hoarse.

"…Yes."

"…"

"It's late. I'm going home. See you tomo-…"

"Shuichi! Stop already. Why won't you tell us?"

Shuichi flinched; Ryuichi sounded angry. Was he finally fed up with him? Shuichi knew that he was a difficult friend to have, always so secretive and never letting anyone get too close. To be truthful, he was amazed they had been able to put up with him for so long…but now, it seemed that Ryuichi had reached his limit. No doubt, Hiro too, was tired of him.

"_It was inevitable…I always knew that someday…someday, I would lose them…" _Shuichi tried to fight back what felt suspiciously like tears welling up.

As Shuichi got up without answering and silently began walking away, Ryuichi just snapped. He ran in front of Shuichi, blocking his way.

He was feeling extremely frustrated. "Why can't you understand, Shuichi? No matter what _has_ happened, _is_ happening and _will_ happen, Hiro and I will always be your friends. We've known you for so many years and all this time, we've never forced you to tell us anything…all this while…we waited for you to come to us…waited for you to feel comfortable enough to confide in us… Why, Shuichi? Why…why can't you trust us?"

Something inside Shuichi crumbled away when he heard Ryuichi's voice go softer and softer, ending in a tired whisper. The weight of all the trouble and worry suffocating him suddenly felt heavier, every shard of his painful life stabbing him. He was tired…so tired…tired of pretending, of lying, tired of smiling when all he wanted to do was wail like the broken person he was.

Today, Shuichi finally allowed himself do just that; he broke down and cried. He cried so hard, he couldn't breath. He couldn't think, only vaguely knew that his body was wracking with sobs.

Ryuichi pulled Shuichi's shaking body into a hug. Syuichi was stiff and unresponsive for a moment; Ryuichi stroked his head and shushed him comfortingly. "It's all right. Don't cry…I'm here…it's all right…"

Shuichi's body relaxed and for some reason, discovered he no longer had the strength to stand. _"Ooh… my legs are made of jelly…how come I never knew?"_ He began giggling hysterically through his tears as he sank to his knees, unintentionally dragging Ryuichi down with him. _"Peanut butter and jelly…yum…"_

"…."

"Make up your mind if you're going to cry or laugh..." Ryuichi held Shuichi tighter, "you dummy..."

His voice betrayed the intense relief he felt. Relief that Shuichi's mask had finally cracked. It wasn't completely gone; that would take more time but…it was a start…a very good start.

The two of them stayed like that for hours.

XXX

"Eiri, are you listening to me?"

"…"

"Eiri!"

"…No, I'm not listening. Will you shut up now?"

Yuki was in a dark mood. He had been enjoying a quiet night at home when his sister had shown up, insisted they needed to talk and demanded he had dinner with her. He stared out of the passenger seat window without really seeing, determined to be as uncooperative as he could be.

Mika sighed, keeping her eyes on the road as she drove. "Eiri, how long are you going to be stubborn? I don't understand why you're forcing yourself to be a teacher. I know it was Father's request but still…you've never really been bothered about what he wants. Why start now?"

"Request?" Yuki snorted derisively. "An order, more like it. And like I keep telling Tohma, mind your own business. It's annoying, the way both of you keep nagging at me."

Still, Yuki couldn't help wondering exactly what was motivating him to keep teaching. While it was true he had become a teacher because of his father, he was more than capable enough of quitting if he really wanted to, despite what his father said.

"_I wonder why…" _A certain brat with a mop of bright pink hair came to his mind unbidden. "_What the-! Why am I thinking about him?"_

Mika's voiced buzzed wordlessly in his ear as Yuki tried to make out the tangle of his unidentified feelings. _"Because he's my student, of course. The most irritating and noisy out of them all…" _Yuki knitted his eyebrows in a frown. Even if he labeled Shuichi as noisy, it wasn't really true. The other teachers had commented that Shuichi was pretty quiet and didn't really stand out.

_"He's only noisy because I notice and pick on him…" _That led to another question-why _did_ he pick on Shuichi anyway?

"_Because it's fun", _the answer came immediately. Yes, it certainly was fun. After all, Shuichi's reactions when Yuki teased him were so cute…

"CUTE?"

_Beeeeeeeep!_

Mika accidentally accelerated too hard and almost crashed into another car.

"EIRI!"

"Sorry, sorry…"

Yuki semi-consciously muttered an apology, his mind still revolving around the shocking revelation that he found Shuichi cute.

Was it normal for a teacher to find his student cute? Yuki felt a migraine sneaking in. Really, he was probably over-thinking things. There was no way he had any other feeling than that of a teacher towards Shuichi.

"Definitely not."

Mika knew it was safer to keep her attention on driving but she couldn't fight the impulse. She turned to stare at her brother in despair. _"I knew he was too grumpy for it to be healthy…and with all that cigarettes…he's finally lost it…"_

Blissfully unaware of Mika's train of thoughts, Yuki continued looking -okay, glaring- out of the window.

Dusk had fallen and it was getting dark outside. The skies were clear, having rained earlier and the moon played hide-and-seek from behind the scattered clouds. The traffic light turned red and Mika's car obeyed it, slowing to a complete stop.

Yuki cast his eyes towards the park. And that's when he saw them. Shuichi sitting on a swing, with a friend pushing him higher. _"How childish."_ A gentle smile graced his lips without Yuki realizing it. Shuichi's friend looked familiar. Yuki ran through his memory, searching for a name to match that face. Ah, he had it now. _"Sakuma Ryuichi from class 3-B." _Although from a separate class, he was more often than not seen with Shuichi and Hiroshi. Now that Yuki thought about it, Shuichi didn't seem to have any other friends besides those two. Well, he supposed it was better to have quality over quantity.

As he watched, Ryuichi stopped pushing. After a moment, Shuichi got up and started walking away.

Yuki continued observing them. _"Probably going home now."_ Looks like he assumed wrong. Ryuichi suddenly blocked Shuichi's path and they spoke for a while, face to face. It was too dark to make out their expressions but for some unknown reason, Yuki felt his heart start to go cold.

The traffic light turned green. Mika's car was picking up speed .The last thing Yuki saw was Ryuichi enveloping Shuichi in a hug, both sinking to the ground.

"_What the hell?"_ Yuki couldn't explain it. Sakuma had never given him problems in class, so why was he feeling so hostile towards him? After mentally replaying the scene for about the sixth time, Yuki finally understood. He was feeling upset…upset and angry, not to mention just a tad jealous. He was upset someone had hugged Shuichi, angry that Shuichi had hugged back and jealous that it wasn't him.

Yuki was in love with Shindou Shuichi.

Only one phrase could sum up this cataclysmic event and that was-

"Oh, shit."

Mika only sighed in resignation when he continued his apparently reasonless cursing with a parade of colorful swearwords. She was _never_ going to understand how Yuki's mind worked.

* * *

Aaaand…chapter 5 is over! You know what to do guys, review, review and review! .:puppy eyes:. Please? Heh heh. Thanks! Btw, this time it's the lines that just won't show up...maybe I'm really being cursed? .:sobs:. 


	6. Scene 6

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I hope I didn't leave anyone out. Thanks everyone!

* * *

**Disclaimer: **Gravitation does not belong to me.

* * *

****

**Scene 6-Would your arms be open or would you walk away?**

Pain.

That was the only word in his world right now. _They_ were being rougher than usual. He didn't know why; and he didn't care. All he wanted was his suffering to stop.

More pain.

He tasted blood, and wonders why. Ah, he remembers now. He had bit down his lip hard, muffling back a scream when they assaulted him for the third time. Or was it the fourth? For some reason, his mind was getting hazy.

Numbness.

He was amazed. He marveled that a human body could endure so much abuse. He should have stopped feeling anything long ago. As a particularly ugly brute loomed over him, he couldn't help giggling a little. Looks like he wasn't going to school today. Yuki was going to be so mad. He idly wondered what punishment Yuki would give him this time; wondered if he going crazy. Anyone would be; if they thought about a certain sarcastic blonde jerk at a time like this. His vision was getting blur. He liked it blur. It meant he didn't have to see. Didn't have to see those real-life nightmares.

He was slipping away. It was strange. The last coherent thought he had before going unconscious was of Yuki. Eyes closing despite his half-hearted protest, Shuichi dreamily wondered if Yuki's hair was as silky as it looked.

Blankness.

XXX

_Riiiing!_

"_Finally."_ Yuki stalked out of the lab grumpily, not caring who saw him. He could finally get away from the academy and go home.

Outside, the sun was shining brightly (was it trying to give him skin cancer?) and the birds perched on tree branches were chirping harmoniously. (did they want him to shoot them all dead that badly?) Yuki got into his car, slammed the door and speeded away, as though running away from something; he refused to give thought as to why he was feeling more testy than usual.

After all, he was most definitely not worrying about why Shuichi had been absent for three days in a row.

XXX

Hiro and Ryuichi stared at the door slammed shut in their faces.

"What the…" Ryuichi began.

"…hell is her problem!" Hiro finished in a furious tone.

Ryuichi turned to look at Hiro with reproachful eyes, "That's not what I meant to say."

After Shuichi had gotten over his hysterical breakdown, they had snuck over to Hiro's house in the middle of the night. From there, Shuichi had told them everything in a detached whisper.

Hiro had been furious. He had spent at least an hour swearing and muttering darkly on how _exactly_ should 'all those bastards be blended in a juice mixer with rusty blades, boiled with cow dung, dried and then flushed down the toilet bowl as ashes.'

Even now, Ryuichi wasn't completely sure if Hiro had been joking.

"Who cares?" Hiro angrily kicked Shuichi's house door. "We've been here at least nine times since the first day Shuichi didn't show up at school and every single time, that crazy mother of his insists 'there's no such person named Shuichi living here'. Who does she think she's fooling? I've walked home with Shuichi from school practically every day since we were seven!"

When Hiro was forced to pause his tirade due to lack of oxygen, Ryuichi quickly cut in. "I know. I walk with you guys too; remember? The point is, no matter what we do or say, she's obviously not telling us anything." He could tell Hiro was about to resume cursing Shuichi's mother.

Now, Ryuichi was generally an easy going person; but come on, anyone's nerve would have been frayed after discovering one of his two best friends daily life schedule was to get raped. Therefore, it was understandable when Ryuichi almost shouted at Hiro. "Forget about that woman already! Concentrate on Shuichi!"

Hiro was stunned for a moment, Ryuichi's uncharacteristic outburst bringing him back to rational thinking. After a bout of silence, Hiro sighed in defeat. You're right…but still…there's nothing we can do…"

An idea hit him. "Why don't we get Yuki-sensei to find out? It's a long shot but…he _is _our homeroom teacher. Shuichi's mother will have a hard time refusing him."

Ryuichi nodded in agreement. It was better than doing nothing.

XXX

During break the next day, they approached Yuki. He was alone in the biology lab, erasing the whiteboard.

"Yuki-sensei, we need to speak to you."

Yuki glanced over his shoulders. "Hiroshi and Sakuma. What is it?"

"Shuichi's been absent for many days and we're worried…"

Was it Hiro's imagination or did Yuki-sensei freeze for just a short moment when he heard Shuichi's name?"

Yuki resumed cleaning as though he never stopped. "Don't worry. The academy will send someone to check on him if he doesn't show up by the end of the week."

Neither of them heard the unspoken command in his voice not to press the subject further.

"We're really worried! It's not like Shuichi to skip school! Can't you find out what's happened to him? Maybe you can pay a visit to his house or-…"

Yuki snapped. "Will you shut up? I'M worried about that stupid brat too, okay?" He shouted before he could stop himself.

Ryuichi and Hiro stared in shock as he slammed his hands down on the table and growled menacingly. "It's so bloody irritating listening to the both of you go on and on. You don't have to tell me its not like Shuichi to skip school; do you think I'm blind? _I ALREADY KNOW_!"

With that, Yuki stormed out of the class, whiteboard only half-clean.

Who cared that he had just blown his carefully maintained Mr.Nice Guy image?

Who cared that he, a teacher, was _ditching_ school?

Who cared that he no longer denied his worry (and, if any-other feelings) for Shuichi?

Well, certainly not Yuki.

He ignored a passing fellow teacher asking him for the time. He pretended not to hear when a bunch of 1st year students greeted him. As his car engine sparked to life with him behind the wheel, Yuki shot out of the school compound like a madman, tires screeching. Yuki's mind was concentrated on only one thing-or rather, one person.

"_Shuichi."_

XXX

Shuichi silently tugged at the stiff handle, face turning red with exertion. He beamed prayer rays at the window. _"For the love of Kumagoro, open up already!"_ Shuichi thought he heard a creak; anxiously, he glanced at the door. Nope, it was still locked. Relieved, he continued forcing the window open.

He had regained consciousness a while ago to discover he had been locked inside his room. Noticing he was alone, Shuichi had quickly formed an escape plan. Unfortunately, he could come up with no other way to flee the house besides through the window; and so, through the window it was.

Shuichi didn't know what he was going to do once (if) he escaped. He couldn't go to Ryuichi's place; his family would only send him back. How about Hiro then? Oh wait, his two cousins were temporarily staying with him. Who else could he go to then? Preferably someone who lived alone…and someone he could trust. _That_ was the problem; other than Ryuichi and Hiro, whom did he trust anyway?

"_Yuki_, his mind suggested.

"…"

"_WHAT?"_

_Clack!_

In his surprise, Shuichi had pulled the window's handle with extra force. The window had, thankfully, sprung open,

However, with Shuichi's luck being the way it was (which was extraordinarily terrible), his mother's boyfriend chose to enter his room at the very moment he began climbing out. The man took the situation in with a glance and smirked cynically at Shuichi. "Where do you think you're going?"

Overwhelming panic swept through Shuichi. Without answering, he started scrambling out the window. He tried anyway; before he realized what was happening, Ryouji had yanked him back into the room and roughly tossed him on the bed. Pining both of Shuichi's arms down with one hand, he unzipped his pants with the other. Shuichi shuddered as Ryouji tore his shirt open and caressed his bare skin. He tried resisting but as always, it was futile.

Shuichi bit his attacker's hand in desperation. Ryouji only laughed and hit him. Tears of pain trickled down Shuichi's face as Ryouji forcefully entered him. Where was everyone? Where was Ryuichi? Where was Hiro? Where were all the people that could save him?

Where was Yuki?

Shuichi couldn't take the pain anymore. He opened his mouth. And screamed for the person he needed most.

"Yuki!"

XXX

After shooting past two red traffic lights, almost bulldozing a lovesick couple and barely avoiding crashing into the police station, Yuki reached his destination.

Not even bothering to lock his car, he rushed up the steps of Shuichi's house and furiously started pressing the doorbell. To Yuki, it seemed like he had waited for an eternity. Yuki was debating whether he should just knock the stupid door down or not when it opened a crack. Shuichi's mother peered from behind it. Recognition dimly lit her soulless eyes.

"Where is Shuichi?" Yuki demanded.

"Not home."

She tried to slam the door shut but Yuki was not giving up that easily. Something about her nervous behavior made him suspicious. He forcefully pushed the door open, easily overpowering her. Yuki's eyes glittered dangerously. He was _not_ in the mood to play games. Shuichi's mother kept edging away until her back met the wall and she could go no further.

Yuki slammed his hands on the wall, palms out, on either side of her face. "Where. Is. Shuichi." It was _not_ a question.

Shuichi's mother shook her head, obviously refusing to tell him anything. It wasn't very convincing though, because it was plain to see she was terrified.

Yuki wasn't sure what he would have done to her if he hadn't had heard it. The only thing he was certain was that she wouldn't have liked it at all. The point was, he heard Shuichi scream. Heard Shuichi screaming for _him_.

"Yuki!"

Pushing the trembling woman aside, Yuki hurried in the direction of the scream. There. It came from that room. The door burst open as Yuki hurled himself in.

"Shui-"

Time seemed to slow down to a complete stop. Yuki froze at the doorway in stupefied shock, golden eyes taking in the horrifying scene that greeted him.

"What…the…hell…?"

* * *

Forgive me for ending at a cliffhanger! This chapter took me waaaaaaay longer than the previous ones…it is official; I have no talent in writing rape scenes…I hope it didn't turn out too weird… .:cries:. Please review! I need to gather courage for the next scene… eep! 


	7. Scene 7

**lazy fat kitsune, Midnight-flame-Princess, DMHPluv, Em-chan15, BlackWingedAngel-Lucifer, DarkMetalAngelOfDestruction, MuffinKitty, Kamiko-miha, Just Jill, .tamixaishiteru, Saint Germain, The Meaning Of Haste, fcuk200, XxTypoMasterxX, The Oblivious Captain Anna, Loveless19, Animeleah, JasLine, DemonicDragon666, engmbt, Ayana11259, PYROFREAK13, Assjuice, Laura, anangelslife, The message, Kenzan, anonymous, ILUVBBRAE, Beevosteethos, EternalLove-xox, Forever-Dawn, love-ly-meow, Jaded Rena, Sweet.Sympathy, koorimechick:**

To all my reviewers, THANKS! You guys have my eternal gratitude! .:touched to the brink of tears:. It's really encouraging to know there is people somewhere out there who actually enjoys my story! I love you guys! (Just ignore my blabbering. I'm a little high today, having managed to actually complete chapter 7. Heh heh.) I feel kinda bad I didn't manage to personally reply everyone's reviews but it's really late right now and I'm too sleepy to type so forgive me! Ahem, I'll shut up now…the scene everyone's looking forward to is (finally) here so read on

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**Disclaimer: **Gravitation does not belong to me…only the torture scenes do.

* * *

**Scene 7-The truth behind the person you imagine me to be**

"What…the…hell…?"

Yuki stood at the doorway in transfixed horror for just a spilt second. Before even he realized what he was doing, Yuki had pulled Ryouji off Shuichi and punched him. Hard. Putting himself between Shuichi and the man as a barrier, Yuki glared at him and hissed. "What in the bloody hell do you think you're doing?"

Ryouji ambled up to his feet, feeling his face where Yuki had punched him as he did so. He shrugged his shoulders, drawling. "What do you think _you're_ doing? You can't just barge into someone's house and hit people." He gave a leer, nodding his head towards Shuchi. "That boy's just a prostitute anyway. What's the big deal?"

Yuki responded to that question by punching him again, this time is the gut. Ryouji gasped for breath as he crumpled to the ground, clutching his middle as he went. This time, he didn't get up.

"_Sooo_…what did you say he was again, huh?" Yuki glowered at him menacingly.

"You must forgive me. I have a _reaaally_ bad hearing. That must be the reason why I thought I just heard you call Shuichi a prostitute. Isn't that right, Ryo-ou-ji-san?" Yuki kicked his side with every syllable he said.

"…Yu…ki….stop…"

Somehow, through his murderous red haze, Yuki heard Shuichi's feeble whisper. Giving Ryouji one last kick as a parting present, Yuki hurried to Shuichi. Seeing Shuichi's condition up close, Yuki felt a stab thought his heart. _"That bastard is so dead."_

Shuichi eerily resembled a broken doll; his clothes torn, his pink hair all a mess, his delicate body badly battered. The only thing that gave away Shuichi was no doll were his eyes. His large beautiful eyes looked empty and dead. The eyes that had cried so much, no tears were left.

"Shuichi…" Yuki shrugged off his jacket and tenderly covered Shuichi's thin frame with it, fighting back the urge to cry as he did so. Shuichi seemed so lifeless, barely responding to him at all.

"RYOUJI!"

Shuichi's mother came rushing into the room, crying out when she saw her unconscious boyfriend on the floor, bleeding. She stared at Yuki in fright. "What have you done? You killed him, didn't you? Murderer! Oh, Ryouji!"

Yuki piercing eyes glared at her icily. "Is that all you can say?"

Nanri yelled at him furiously. "What is that supposed to mean? What if he's really dead? Who do you think you are? I'm calling the police! They'll come and they'll arrest you! You crazy-…"

Slap.

"Wha…. I…you…How dare you!"

Yuki calmly watched as Nanri sputtered indignantly, his hand still raised. When he finally spoke, his voice was dangerously soft. "Who do I think I am? Call the police?"

Yuki sneered mockingly. "Who do you think you are? Do you honestly think the one getting arrested here would be me after the police finds out what's been going on in this house?"

He bended over ever so slightly so that they were eye to eye. "What kind of person would put her own flesh and blood through this hell? You're despicable."

Shuichi's mother shouted back. "It's not my fault! It's his fault! It's his fault for being born. It's his father's fault…if it hadn't been for the both of them, I wouldn't have had to suffer so much!"

Hearing such a selfish reason made Yuki's blood boil. He did what he could to relieve his rage; he slapped her again. Not bothering to listen to any more of her rubbish, Yuki turned his back on her. He looked over at Shuichi. His features softened and his voice was almost gentle. "Shuichi, we're leaving." He watched as Shuichi struggled pathetically to stand up for a moment before snorting and striding over to him. He easily lifted Shuichi up, ignoring his unconvincing protest to put him down.

Nanri blocked the doorway in panic. "Where are you taking him? He's MY son!"

Yuki glared at her, unmoved. "Its because of that I'm taking him away. You're the worst, not even protecting your own son."

Yuki delivered his crushing blow before brushing past her and carrying Shuichi out of the house.

"You don't deserve to be his mother."

XXX

"Shuichi, are you trying to drown yourself in there?"

Shuichi ignored Yuki's voice, muffled through the bathroom door. It wasn't that he was doing it on purpose really. It was just…Yuki had seen him like that…

Shuichi contemplated on _really _committing suicide via drowning in the shower. Then again, this wasn't his house; it was Yuki's and Shuichi somehow suspected that he would be more than a little displeased at finding a dead body in his bathroom.

"Shuichi, enough already. Open up!"

Shuichi answered to that order by ducking his head directly under the flowing water, effectively blocking out Yuki's voice. Think. He needed to think. Earlier on, Yuki had brought him to his house after giving his mother a piece of his mind. Shuichi had been dully surprised to discover they lived so close together; he wondered how long Yuki had known.

The ride to Yuki's house, although short, had been painfully awkward. Shuichi had been unable to look at Yuki for fear of the disgust he was sure to find in Yuki's eyes. As for Yuki…Shuichi smiled bitterly to himself. For once, Yuki had seemed loss for words, his sarcastic wit failing him. Yuki had _actually _stumbled on his words, unsure of what to say. Not able to bear the stifling silence a moment longer, Shuichi had asked to used the shower and Yuki, startled out of his reverie had hastily agreed.

Which was what Shuichi was doing now. Having a shower. Shuichi could still hear Yuki's voice even over the deafening sound of gushing water. Was it his imagination or was the volume of his voice ascending? Oh well, it didn't really matter anyway. Nothing mattered anymore. He closed his eyes and concentrated on ignoring it.

Shuichi wondered if it was possible to spend the next -oh, about fifty years or so showering.

XXX

"SHUICHI!"

Yuki glared at the bathroom door. All the while during their short ride to his house, Shuichi had refused to look at him; refused to respond when Yuki had tried speaking to him. Yuki understood Shuichi's need to be alone. Which was why he had agreed when Shuichi suddenly spoke up, asking to use the shower.

"_But even so, this is just too much!"_ Yuki fumed, though he was beginning to feel more than just a tinge of worry. _"It's just not normal for a shower to last almost forty-five minutes!"_

Yuki rapped the bathroom door forcefully. "Open up already!" Only the sound of rushing water deigned to meet his ears.

Okay, that did it. This wasn't funny anymore.

People would be amazed if they knew just how strong Yuki really was, despite how slender he looked. He rammed the door with his shoulders. Rammed it until it gave way. Yuki pushed it open, stepping inside cautiously. "Shuichi…?"

Shuichi had immersed his head in water, _still _ignoring him.

Yuki leaned against the doorway with crossed arms; relieved Shuichi hadn't died in there or something. He sighed. "Shuichi, what are you trying to do?"

"…myself…"

Yuki didn't quite catch that mumble. "What?"

"…drowning myself…"

Yuki shook his head in exasperation. "I'm sorry Shuichi, I don't think that's possible. Not in the shower, anyway."

No respond.

Yuki gave up. It was obviously useless trying to talk to him. Therefore, Yuki did something that would guarantee his undivided attention. He reached out for Shuichi-and pulled him into his arms.

As Shuichi stiffened in shock, Yuki could see that his skin was red, scrubbed all raw. Shuichi immediately retaliated, pushing Yuki away in pure panic. "LET ME GO! Don't touch me! Don't-…"

Yuki held on tight as Shuichi struggled wildly, refusing to loosen his embrace. His vision was getting blurry. "Shuichi, its only me, Yuki…Shuichi, please don't do this…please…its only me…" Yuki's broke off raspily, unable to continue.

Through his panic filled desperation, Shuichi felt moisture on his face.

One drop.

Two.

The water wasn't from the shower. It felt warm. It was salty. How mysterious it was. Somehow, he was calming down. The shower was still on. Water gushed from it at full blast. It sprinkled like the rain and pooled at two pairs of feet.

Shuichi put his hand to Yuki's face and brushed something away. As Yuki looked down at him, a ghost of a smile traced over Shuichi's lips.

"Why are you crying?" I'm the one who should cry."

Yuki only held on to him tighter, not embarrassed in the least.

"Then, cry with me."

Yuki obviously considered his solution a good one. Apparently, Shuichi did too.

XXX

Yuki tossed and turned in his bed, restless. In the silent darkness of his room, only the sound of his clock ticking away could be heard. The glaring red numbers screamed that it was two-twenty in the morning. Yuki glared right back at it, challenging the clock to provoke him further. The clock responded by moving its needle, now pointing at two-twenty one. Defeated, Yuki rolled over to face the door so that the defiant clock was now mocking only his back.

To state the obvious, Yuki was having a very hard time falling asleep. With all the drama crammed in one day, it was no surprise he felt a headache coming. Although he always had his suspicions, Shuichi's secret still dealt a great shock. Yuki sighed again, probably for the billionth time.

Today, Yuki Eiri discovered just how much Shuichi could cry (and himself too, but that's a different story.) They had to clung to each other and sobbed their hearts out in the shower like idiots_. "Well, at least Shuichi's probably worn out enough to sleep after all that…who knew crying took so much energy?" _

Since Shuichi said he wasn't hungry, Yuki had insisted for him to rest. Shuichi now occupied the guestroom and Yuki could only hope he had been able to fall asleep after his nightmarish experience. As a precaution, Yuki had left his room door open in case Shuichi needed him.Which had been a good call beacause the pink-haired boy in question was now hovering at the doorway hesitantly.

Yuki sat up immediately, concerned. "What's wrong? Are you feeling sick?"

"…" Shuichi shook his head slowly. A no.

Yuki rolled his eyes, taking another guess. "You're hungry?"

"…" Shake. No again.

Shuichi opened his mouth to speak, apprehensive eyes watching Yuki's. "I…can't sleep…alone…"

Yuki wordlessly stared at him for a moment. _"Of all things…"_

Reading Yuki's expression correctly, Shuichi hastily turned to go. "I'm being stupid. Sorry for waking you up-…"

"What are you saying? Come here." Yuki snapped out of his thoughts in time to stop him.

"But…"

"Oh, stop making me waste my breath. I was still awake anyway. Hurry up, it's a cold night." Yuki lifted up his blanket, beckoning him to get under it. Shuichi didn't need any further invitation. He hurried over and meekly slid under the blankets before Yuki had an apoplexy.

Tick...tick…tick…

"ARGH! That stupid clock is getting on my nerves! It needs to die; right here, right now!"

Shuichi had been feeling nervous sharing a bed with another person-even worse, a man at that- when Yuki suddenly flung the blanket off himself. Startled, he looked at where Yuki had bolted upright and was now sending murderous vibes to the poor innocent clock that was only doing its job.

Shuichi couldn't help giggling, thought he knew he shouldn't; Yuki was behaving just like a fractious child who hadn't had enough sleep, picking a fight with an inanimate clock like that.

Unfortunately for Shuichi, Yuki heard his giggle and therefore redirected his rapidly growing annoyance at his new victim.Whose fault was it that he was too nervous to sleep anyway? "_Ha-ha_, very funny."

Hearing Yuki's sarcastic growl only made Shuichi giggle harder. When he finally managed to cease his laugher, it suddenly hit Shuichi that the atmosphere wasn't tense anymore. If anything, it felt _comfortable_. Shuichi pondered over that for a moment. Yeah, it was comfortable to be with Yuki. After all, Yuki only seemed grouchy and surly on the outside where he was actually a softie at heart. Just like…_"Just like a big teddy bear."_

Yuki only shook his head sadly when Shuichi suddenly broke out in a fresh attack of giggles, now even more severe than before. _"Must have been more traumatized than I thought, that poor kid…"_

On impulse, Yuki gathered Shuichi into a hug, silencing his giggles instantly. Yuki mentally berated himself. _"Oh, shit! I forget he hates people touching him." _He immediately started to withdraw his arms but stopped at a sound of protest from Shuichi.

"…"

"…Shu…ichi…?" Yuki cautiously tested Shuichi's reaction.

"…"

"Shuichi?"

"….zzz…"

Yuki stared in amazement at the snoring Shuichi in his arms. _"He's fine with it? More importantly-when did he even fall asleep?"_

Shuichi snuggled closer to Yuki. A smile slowly spread over Yuki's face, reaching even his eyes. _"Oh well, who cares about little details like that?"_

When morning came, it was to find the two of them sound asleep in each other's arms. Somewhere on Yuki's dresser, a clock ticked away smugly. Hey, who could blame it? After all, it _did _survive the night without suffering death sentence through Yuki's hands.

* * *

I DID IT! I managed to write semi-mushy Yuki and Shuichi scenes without cringing! (Not much anyway) Whoo-hoo! I hope it turned out okay! Minna-san, you know what to do! Reviews, please! Thanks! .:wanders off cackling manically:. (Sorry, I'm suffering from lack of sleep…my eyes cant stay open anymore…zzz….) 


	8. Scene 8

**kenzan:** Haha, a clock like that would drive you mad! Thanks for reviewing!  
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* * *

**Disclaimer:** Ayame does not have any part in the creation of Gravitation.

* * *

****

**Scene 8-But the invitation's open to every heart that's been broken**

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Are you really, _really_ sure?"

"Yes."

"Are you rea-…"

"For the tenth time; YES, I feel well enough to go to school!"

Shuichi got into Yuki's car and turned an exasperated look on him. Really. Yuki was exaggerating. He was grateful Yuki felt worried for him but seriously; he was going overboard. "_I've spent the entire weekend resting just to keep him happy but if I have to spent another hour in bed, I'll go crazy from boredom_."

Behind the wheel, Yuki's brows were furrowed in concern. "You don't have to go to school if you don't feel like it. Don't worry about being absent. I'll take care of it." After a pause Yuki added. "You'll owe me another one, of course."

Shuichi strapped on the safety belt and just glared at Yuki. "_Figures he'll never miss a change to push me around." _"Yuki, just drive." His tone was final, showing no sign of giving in.

Okay. Yuki was a cold-hearted, arrogant, know-it-all jerk but even he knew when he was beaten. Sighing, he shifted the gears and headed for school.

XXX

Miaka was about to go insane with fury. _"That bastard Shindou. Even after I warned him, he still has the guts to go near Yuki-sensei. How dare he!"_

She angrily marched along the hallways, kicking an innocent rubbish bin along the way, earning a reproachful look from a nearby janitor. Absorbed in her malicious thoughts, she took no notice of it all.

That morning, she had actually been in a pretty good mood-that is, until she saw Yuki-sensei drive in. With _Shindou_ in his passeger seat. Reaching the classroom, she threw herself angrily into her seat and proceeded to send virtual hate daggers towards Shuichi's seat, which was currently empty.

"_Probably still with Yuki-sensei."_ That thought made her already furious self even more so.

Miaka drummed her fingers on her desk irritably, trying to calm herself. She decided she had been too easy on Shuichi. It was time to take more drastic actions. Her drumming slowed down to mere tapping as she contemplated on what she should do to keep Shuichi away from Yuki.

An idea struck her. Satisfied now, she gleefully leaned back. She knew what she would do. After she did it, Yuki would never speak to Shuichi again.

XXX

Striding out of the emptying classroom, Yuki inwardly breathed a sigh of relieve. _"Looks like I worried for nothing. Shuichi seems to be perfectly fine today."_ He rewinded his thoughts and let out an irritated growl. Why was he so worked up over that brat anyway? He knew if it had been any other one of his students with such an abusive mother, he wouldn't have given a damm.

He frowned. What was he going to do about Shuichi's mother and her boyfriend anyway? As much as he would like to just send them both on their way to hell, he figured the police wouldn't be too happy if he took care of them by himself.

"_Definitely the police. I don't care what it takes, as long as those two assholes end up behind bars. For a very, very long time."_ On second thought Yuki discovered he really would much prefer to have them dead. _"I wonder if there's death sentence for child abuse and rape…"_ Yuki was pretty confident he would be able to…_convince_ the lawyers such law existed.

"…sensei! Yuki-sensei!"

Annoyed at having his contemplation on enticing prospects for Shuichi's mother and boyfriend interrupted, Yuki whirled around, ready to unleash his irritation at full blast at the unsuspecting victim. Fixing his eyes upon her-the victim had a gender- Yuki managed to control his waspishness. Her face seemed familiar, probably one of his students. Yuki decided to test his luck. "Yes, miss…?"

"Miaka. Akino Miaka." She helpfully supplied her name. Well, at least she wasn't dense enough not to catch on.

Yuki shifted his books onto his other hand, balancing the weight. "Yes, Akino? What can I help you with?" It better not be another stupid love confession.

Miaka fiddled nervously with a lock of hair. She was talking to Yuki-sensei. Even better, it was just the two of them! She felt like she was walking on clouds, on her way to heaven. Well, heaven would be her destination once Shuichi was out of the way. And-of course, once Yuki-sensei called her by name in that alluring voice of his.

Yuki was impatiently staring at the daydreaming student in front of him when she suddenly gave a weird…giggle. Yuki raised his eyebrows_. "How come nobody told me retards was allowed to attend this school?"_

"Akino. Do you need something?" Yuki repeated his query, louder this time. The girl snapped out daze and looked at him.

"Well sensei, I wanted to talk to you about Shindou-kun."

Yuki blinked in confusion. He hadn't been expecting that. Did she suspect the situation Shuichi was in? "What about him?"

Miaka took Yuki's question as an encouragement to continue and she plunged on. "I don't think Shindou-kun is a very good person, sensei. There are…rumors about him."

Getting no response to her announcement, she hurriedly spoke her piece. "I have been in the same school as him for many years and I know how he really is. He acts innocent but he's actually a slut. Shindou-kun used to be really popular with not only girls, but guys as well and; he knows it. He took advantage of his popularity to play around just because he could. Lots of people would do anything to be with him and he…well, I heard he would do it with anyone as long as they had money…" Miaka trailed off calculatingly.

Perfect.

She smirked inwardly; once the implications had fully sunk into Yuki, it would be the end of Shindou. With a little luck, Yuki would be so disgusted; he would never want to even see his face ever again.

Yuki was mildly wondering if killing a student was really that bad of a criminal activity. He noted that his hit list was somehow getting longer and longer_. "What is wrong with this little demoness? Shuichi, a slut? Shuichi, sleeping with people for money? Where in the nine hells did her mind go so wrong?" _

All the mounting irritation he had been holding back made an interesting emotional mix with the blinding anger that was now very rapidly building up. Yuki was growing very tired of being nice. "_Oh, what the heck. Hiroshi and Sakuma already know how short-tempered I really am anyway. One more couldn't hurt."_

On that day, Miaka was going to wish she never badmouthed Shuichi.

"And so? Why are telling me all this shit for?"

Miaka gaped as Yuki's eyes narrowed at her coldly. This was so _not_ going the way she planned.

Yuki rolled his eyes in contempt as Miaka's mouth hung open stupidly. "What's this? Now you're dumb as well as stupid?"

He shook his head at her in mock pity before turning on his heel. "Oh well, don't worry about it. I understand that some people are just born bitchy."

"Sen-Sensei!" Miaka got out of her unpleasant shock in time to call him back.

Hearing his name voiced out in that irritating high-pitched shriek only put Yuki even more on edge. Losing all remnants of patience, he whirled around and fixed a cold glare on Miaka. "Sensei this, sensei that-how annoying! Don't you ever know when to shut up? I don't want to hear another bloody word from your poisonous mouth!"

His glare intensified as he growled, "Are we clear?"

If the way Miaka was about to speak again was to judge by, she really was a foolish, stubborn brat. He slammed his books against the wall with one hand, startling Miaka out of sprouting what was probably another well-prepared speech. "Don't ever speak to me unless strictly on class matters. If any…_unpleasant_ talk about Shuichi reaches my ears, I'll know who to look for now, don't I?"

With that veiled threat left hanging in the air, Yuki stalked away. This time, Miaka didn't try stopping him.

Miaka's trembling legs, betraying her outer calm- finally gave way and she slumped to the floor, shaking. She was-to put it plainly, in shocked denial. That couldn't be Yuki-sensei. He was nice. He was patient. He was kind. What happened to _that _Yuki-sensei?

Miaka's hands balled into fist as the answer hit her. She couldn't believe it. How could she have been so blind as to not notice it earlier? It was Shindou's fault. He had corrupted her beloved naïve Yuki-sensei. It was that conniving devil's entire fault.

In the empty hallways, Miaka's maniacal laugher echoed eerily.

Even if he wasn't aware of it, Shindou was going to pay. He was going to pay very heavily.

XXX

"….and he just stormed out of class like that!" Hiro narrated with much enthusiasm. Apparently, he liked Yuki's dark side even more than his cool. Well, Shuichi already knew he had more than just a few loose screws in his head anyway.

"He actually drove off even though classes were still on!" Ryuuchi picked up where Hiro had left off with an admiring tone. Shuichi sighed sadly. He thought Ryuuchi had more common sense though.

Shuichi hastily spoke up before they carried on singing praises about Yuki. "_Anyway_, that's what happened so I was staying at Yuki's house for the past few days."

The trio was dawdling at the cafeteria. It was practically empty, school having let out ages ago. Hiro and Ryuichi had immediately ambushed him upon sight the moment he stepped into the school compound, practically weeping with relief. Shuichi had felt immensely guilty and berated himself for not letting them knows he was still alive and kicking. He had been dreading their reaction once they discovered what had transpired and had been mentally preparing himself to be chastised but apparently, they were so glad his soul was still on earth, they didn't bother about little details like his questionable sexuality.

As they launched into a fresh torrent of Yuki's hero-like qualities, Shuichi rolled his eyes. He was amazed; they had been at it for hours and their mouths still weren't tired. He tried to talk some resemblance of logic into them. "Hello? Yuki's not all that saintly, you know? He smokes and calls me a brat and he snores really loudly and-…"

"And he's going to kick said brat out of his car if he doesn't shut up."

"Ow!" Shuichi twisted to look behind him and gulped nervously when he found a certain golden-eyed teacher right behind him, hand ready to whack his head with the books in it again. "Yu-Yuki! When did you get here?"

Yuki eyed him in irritation. "Since you said 'hello'." Meaning everything. Shuichi just stuck his tongue out in defiance. "Well, you _do_ snore loudly…"

"And _you_ seem to think my arm is your pillow." Yuki acknowledged Hiro and Ryuichi by nodding his head, choosing to ignore Shuichi's weak protest. Having done so, he turned back to Shuichi and hit the back of his head lightly with the books again. "Come on, Shuichi. We're going."

Cut off mid-protest, Shuichi stared at Yuki's back in confusion as he strode off without waiting for him. "Going where?"

"Home." Yuki's voice had the tone that said 'Duh, where else?'

_Home. _Shuichi liked that word. He quickly said his good-byes to Hiro and Ryuichi before snatching up his bag and hurrying after Yuki.

Ryuichi and Hiro continued watching them in bemusement as they walked away, engaged in another round of bickering.

Ryuichi broke their silence first. "Shuichi….calls him Yuki."

Hiro picked up where Ryuichi had trailed off. "They share the same bed…."

They both took turns to carry on that commentary for quite some time, drawing their own (obviously wrong) conclusions about the (obviously misunderstood) conversation.

XXX

"Wha-what are you trying to say?"

Yuki groaned in exasperation as he drove, fighting the urge to bang his forehead against the dashboard. "I said; I've already contacted my lawyer. He told me that under your circumstances, its possible. Soon, the police will be looking into this matter."

Shuichi continued staring at Yuki in disbelief. "The police? What for?"

Yuki growled at him, unable to believe such level of idiocy actually existed. "What for?" He almost shouted at him. "After all that abuse, you ask me 'what for'?"

Shuichi tried to clarify himself before Yuki crashed into something; he was too young to die. "I know what she did but…I don't want the police in this…"

This time, Yuki shouted. "WHY NOT? They both deserve to rot in jail for what they've done! Only those two I will not forgive. After what they did to you…"

Shuichi felt as though a lump was stuck in his throat. "Yuki…please leave my mother alone…I just want to forget everything. Please?"

Hearing Shuichi's whispered plea, Yuki finally relented. "Fine, I won't call the police for now _but _if they _ever_ go near you again, I'm see them in court no matter what you say." Cutting off Shuichi's thanks, Yuki added. "One thing I absolutely won't allow is for you to return back to that house. From now on, my home is yours."

Shuichi was stunned beyond words now. "Your home…?"

Yuki killed his engine as they reached his house. Unbuckling his seat belt, he grunted in irritation. "Don't make me repeat so many times. Your opinion on this is completely rejected. From today onwards, you're living with me"

Misinterpreting Shuichi's dumbfounded expression, he sighed. "Do you hate me that much?"

"Huh?"

Yuki gestured at his expression. "You look like you really can't stand the thought of living with me."

Shuichi quickly shook off his surprise. "No…no! I'm really grateful about this. I was just surprised you're willing to take a student in. I'm…happy you want me to stay with you!"

Yuki smiled; a rare genuine smile. "Brat. Just get in the house. I'll go over to your house later and bring everything over. I have a feeling your mother would be very willing to let me do whatever I want after my lawyer has a..._ talk _with her.

Yuki opened the car door and paused for just a moment before getting out; "Besides, you're more than just a student."

Shuichi only grinned back and got out as well. "I already knew that."

* * *

The end of chapter 8! I noticed a lot of people seemed to like the alarm clock. Should it make future appearances? LOL. Please leave a review! 

PS: Do you guys really want a kissing scene that much? .:nervous:. I'll-I'll try to muster enough courage to type one! Eep!


	9. Scene 9

**Em-chan 15: **Thanks for reviewing!  
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**--: **Updated!  
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* * *

**Disclaimer:** It pains me every time do this…Aya does not have any right to Gravitation…

* * *

****

**Scene 9-Are we happy, plastic people?**

"You want me to _WHAT_?"

"Snow White." Shuichi repeated with an innocent smile. "I want you to be Snow White."

Oh no. Absolutely not. Yuki would rather invite Tohma over to his house for breakfast every morning till the day he kicked the can, thank you very much.

"Is that a problem, Yuki-_sensei_?"

It took Yuki enormous willpower not to strangle Shuichi right there on that very spot. _"Why that little devil…he knows I can't say anything with the whole class watching." _

Two peaceful months had quickly flown by since Shuichi moved in without a squeak from his mother. It was a pity though; Yuki had secretly harbored hopes she would make a fuss. That way, he could give her the hell she deserved without breaking his word to Shuichi. At that very moment though, the matter of Shuichi's mother was far from his mind. He had other problems at hand.

The school had decided to hold a friendly inter-class drama competition in an attempt to boost student-integration and had made it compulsory for every class to take part; which was why Yuki, as 3-A's homeroom teacher was currently taking votes as to which play to perform. Blissfully unaware of the plot forming in Shuichi's mind, he had trustingly added his suggestion of Snow White to the list of dramas on the whiteboard.

Now though, after the majority of the class had chosen Snow White, Yuki regretted it tremendously. The selection of the cast member's had gone smoothly-except for the heroine. The class was engaged in a heated debate over who should play the part of Snow White and this was when Shuichi decided to reveal his reason for wanting a Snow White play.

In the presence of his students, Yuki shrugged his shoulders and gave out a regretful laugh. "I'm sorry, Shindou-kun. I'm afraid acting is not my fort. It's better to pick someone else who can act. Besides, I'm a teacher; a male one at that…" He trailed off as his students scanned him from head to toe, approving grins growing on their faces. "_No way…they can't be serious!" _

The class was silent for a moment as they chewed on that idea.

"It's perfect!"

_"No, it isn't!" _Yuki mentally growled his protest as the other students, taking their cue from that excited squeal, broke out into murmurs of agreement, their volume rapidly increasing.

Shuichi grinned in triumph, though it didn't show on his face_. "Success!" _Carefully rearranging his expression, he gave Yuki a meek look and cast his eyes down in disappointment. "No? Oh, Yuki-sensei, I thought you'd be perfect for it too…"

"Yea, Yuki-sensei! You're the best person for the role!"

"Oh, Yuki-sensei! Please say you will!"

"Don't waste your beautiful looks!"

Yuki twitched. Was that supposed to be a compliment? He tried discouraging them again. "Now, now. I don't think teachers are allowed to participate. We'll probably be disqualified."

"We don't mind! The competition's a waste of time. If we have to do it anyway, I say we have as much fun as we can!"

Yuki twitched again as shouts of agreement supported that logic. How was this supposed to be fun?

"Yuki-sensei!"

"Please, Sensei!"

"Please say yes!"

Yuki gave in. He could tell there was no other way to shut this clamoring mob up. He smiled ruefully at his students and joked. "Don't blame me if the play's a failure."

Taking that as an assent, the class broke out into cheers. Amidst the enthusiastic shouts of "You're the man, sensei!" and "I want to do your make-up, sensei!", Yuki kept his smile on. When he caught Shuichi's eye, his grin only deepened as he mentally promised Shuichi death. _"He better clean his own blood up."_

Shuichi caught that transmission and gulped. It was creepy when Yuki smiled like that. Maybe he better stay at Hiro's house tonight.

XXX

Three weeks later, it was finally the day of the competition. Preparations had been made, invitations sent out, nobody died and Yuki was Snow White.

Tohma sat near to the stage with Mika next to him. Mika commented, "I'm surprised Eiri invited us to watch his class's drama. Is he finally tired of being a hermit?"

He shook his head. "It wasn't him who invited us. It was a student of his. Shindou Shuichi."

Mika turned to look at him in surprise. "A student? That's odd. How did he even know who you were anyway?"

Tohma frowned thoughtfully. "Frankly speaking, I'm also curious to know why he was so insistent on us watching."

_ Flashback_

Tohma had been picking up some groceries Mika needed when he was addressed by a hesitant voice.

"Excuse me, are you-I mean, do you know Yuki?"

Tohma looked at the speaker and recognized him instantly; after all, there couldn't be many people with a shock of pink hair and huge purple eyes. Which were currently looking at him questioningly. Tohma smiled at the boy. "I'm his brother-in-law, Seguchi Tohma."

The boy grinned back at him happily. "I knew I was right! I'm Shindou Shuichi, Yuki's my teacher." He paused for a while, fully absorbing Tohma's words. "Wait-brother-in-law? Yuki has a sister?"

Tohma replied, professionally assessing the boy. "_He calls his teacher by name?"_ "An older one. Her name is Mika and she is frequently fussing over Eiri-san."

Shuichi brightened up as an idea hit him. He riffled through his backpack, searching for something. Finding what he was looking for, the boy pulled out a piece of paper. He pushed it into Tohma's hands. "Here! Bring Yuki's sister along too!"

Before Tohma could say anything, Yuki's student glanced at his watch and let out a string of curses. "I'm sorry, Seguchi-san. I have to go now; Yuki gets grumpy if I'm late for dinner. It was nice meeting you. Bye! Oh, and you _must_ remember to come!"

Tohma watched, dumbfounded as the pink hurricane dashed out of the store_. "Yuki gets grumpy if he's late for dinner? My, my; it seems like it's high time I paid Eiri-san an overdue visit." _

He looked at the piece of paper Shuichi had given him, reading it. It was an invitation to a drama competition.

_End flashback_

"And so that was what happened.", Tohma finished.

Mika was surprised. She wanted to question him further but just then, the audience began clapping their hands. She looked to the front instead; the stage curtains had drawn open. The competition was commencing.

XXX

"Have you seen the wig? Oh no, it's almost time! Shit!"

Behind the stage, it was total chaos. The students of class 3-A could be seen dashing back and forth in panic, a few fervently muttering their semi-memorized lines under their breath.

"Ah- I found it!" A relieved girl in pigtails exhaled in relief. Her friend took the wig, looking puzzled. "Why was it stuffed under there though? Oh well. Doesn't matter; Yuki-sensei would be glad to hear we've found it." She ran off searching for him. "Yuki-sensei! We've found the wig! Where are you?"

_"Damm it!" _Yuki froze mid-track of his escape. He thought he had hidden the hideous long black wig under the stage planks when no one was watching. Yuki wondered if he should burn down the auditorium while he still had the chance.

"There you are, sensei!"

Too late. Yuki fixed a relieved smile to his face and turned around; resigned to being humiliated in front of the whole school. "Really? I'm _so_ glad."

XXX

_"Almost over-almost over-almost over-almost-…" _Yuki repeatedly chanted the mantra in his head, attempting to ease the torture he was going through fifteen minutes later. They were now at the scene where he had 'eaten' the poisonous apple and was lying down on a makeshift table in mock death.

"….and so, Snow White fell into eternal slumber-or so the seven dwarfs thought. Unknown to all of them, a traveling prince had heard of a most beautiful maiden hidden away in the deep forest and was currently journeying towards their cottage."

_"Almostover-almostover--almostover-ALMOST…" _Yuki mantra was becoming more like a furious prayer. Why did Shuichi get to be the narrator anyway? He was definitely girlier than Yuki and was therefore more qualified to play Snow White. In the fist place, Yuki couldn't understand how the class had chosen their cast members. Did they close their eyes and just randomly jabbed at a name on the class registry? After all, there was no other logical reason why the cast ended up the way it was; Shuichi was the narrator, Hiro the prince and seven of the prettier girls played the dwarfs. Snow White was, as Yuki sincerely regretted, himself. Probably the only one who suited her own role was Miaka, as the jealous queen.

"….she was so beautiful, we couldn't bear to bury her."

"Instead, we built this glass coffin so we could watch over her forever…"

_"ALMOSTOVER!" _Yuki snapped back to attention as he heard the mournful voice trail off sadly. Yuki tried to remember what was next. _"Hmm…I think this is the part where the prince wakes Snow White up with a kiss…" _Not that Hiro was _actuall_y going to kiss him. _"If I remember correctly, he's just supposed to bend over for a moment and block the audience's view…" _

"Oh, what a lovely beauty! She is so fair even in death." Hiro walked up to where Yuki had been laid down and forced himself to spit the corny lines out. _"Augh! Why couldn't it be a girl? Oh well, at least I just have to pretend kissing him…" _

Shuichi snickered to his hearts content, holding the microphone away from him; safe in the knowledge Yuki couldn't see him. He was probably-no scratch that, _definitely_- going to make him pay dearly later. Then again, seeing Yuki all dolled up and wearing a dress was certainly worth it. He desperately hoped someone was taking photos-or even better, a video. _"Too bad it's almost over now…"_ Shuichi sighed regretfully. _"Ah well…all good things must come to an end." _

Confident he could continue without laughing now, Shuichi lifted the mike back up to his mouth and resumed narrating. "The prince fell in love with Snow White at first sight. Overcome with a burning desire to awaken the lovely princess, he bent down and gently pressed his lips to hers…"

It was at this point a Yuki-obsessed student from another class interrupted the drama. "Nooooo! Yuki-sensei! Kiss me instead!" She hurled her war cry as she head butted Hiro, attempting to take his place in awakening Yuki.

Hiro had been about to straighten himself when he was suddenly pushed from behind. Lurching forward, he tripped on his cape-and was then in pain.

The audience watched with bated breath as the unexpected twist took place.

"…"

"…"

Mika turned to Tohma after pinching her arms for the third time. "…Did I just see what I thought I did?"

Tohma, calm as ever, evenly replied. "Why yes, I do believe I saw the same thing too," His eyes though, were still slightly wider than usual. Epiphany had hit Tohma the instant he saw who was playing Snow White. He had silently thanked Shuichi for enabling him to see the wonderful sight of a feminine Yuki complete with lipstick. Now though, he wasn't so sure he was glad he came. Hey, he certainly hadn't been expecting to witness Yuki lock lips with another guy.

_"Ow…"_ Yuki was incapable of feeling anything but the blinding pain; he hadn't been prepared for something to knock against his teeth violently. Opening his eyes, he found himself looking up at Hiro-a Hiro who was currently clamping his mouth shut with both hands and staring at Yuki in something akin to downright horror.

Realization finally dawning on Yuki, he jolted upright and furiously swiped at his lips in repulsion. He was so disgusted; no words could describe it. So he instantaneously created some. _"I-bleeping- can't believe I –bleepbleepbleeping-kissed him!" _

The audience continued ogling with their mouths open, completely enraptured.

"…."

"…."

"ENCORE!"

As they finally regained their ability to think intelligently, the audience (the female half, which was the majority anyway) gave a standing ovation and cheered madly, screaming themselves hoarse.

Yuki proceeded to answer to their demands by throwing his blasted wig at them and stalking offstage.

XXX

"For the last _godamm _time, stop laughing!" Yuki scowled darkly at Tohma.

After practically tearing the dress off in his haste to change back to his sensible _manly _clothes, Yuki wanted to leave before a screaming mob of girls attacked him. As the first thing Shuichi did once he was safely offstage was to burst out laughing so hard, he gasped for breath, Yuki decided that Shuichi could just walk home today-if Yuki was feeling less pissed by then, he just might-_might_, mind you-be kind enough not to lock him out.

Imagine his horror when he found Tohma and Mika waiting for him when he had hurried out to his car.

Tohma just gave that innocent boyish smile of his. "There, there Eiri-san. You were spectacular. I must express my appreciation to Shindou-san for inviting us."

Yuki's scowl-if possible, deepened even further. So _that_ was how they knew about the competition. He had wondered about that, even thought maybe it had been his tyrant of a father's fault. Who knew it had actually been his little pink-haired housemate's devilish scheme?

Tohma looked around, searching. "Where _is_ he, anyway? Don't you usually have dinner together? I thought you don't like him being late."

Yuki automatically responded without thinking. "Probably still laughing his ass off and of course I dislike him being late for dinner; who wouldn't worry if he comes home late at night? It's not safe."

Tohma's eyebrows shot up. "Home? You live together?" It sounded more like a statement.

_"Great.",_ Yuki mentally cursed. _"Must be the moronic drama's fault I'm slipping up. Tohma's never going to leave me alone now…" _

Desperate for a change of topic, he looked at his sister. Yuki frowned; Mika hadn't said a word since they stated talking, which probably signified the end of the world since her hobby was lecturing Yuki. He tried guessing what was wrong with her.

"Mika?"

"…" She continued staring at the ground, her face hidden by her cascaded hair.

"Mika?"

"…" She started shaking; small sobs could be heard.

Now even Tohma was concerned. He scrutinized his wife's face worriedly. "Are you feeling ill?"

Mika finally looked up, revealing her teary eyes. "To-Tohma…"

Maybe she really was feeling sick. Tohma took the hand she held out. "Yes?"

"Yuki is-Yuki is prettier than I am!"

Yuki stared at his sister, speechless for a moment. _"What…" _

"What the heck has that got to do with anything!"

XXX

Maybe he shouldn't have laughed so hard earlier; after Shuichi had finally done his share of uncontrollable giggling, he had gone off looking for Yuki and found his car gone. _"Still…he didn't have to leave without me!"_ Shuichi huffed, though he wasn't really upset; he _had _deserved it after all. _"Oh well, I'll make it up to him later!" _His course of action decided, Shuichi hummed to himself as he strolled home, in a good mood.

"FIRE! That house is on fire!"

Shuichi slowed down for a spilt second before quickening his pace, panic gnawing at him_. "Fire? It couldn't be Yuki's house…I'm just being paranoid."_ Even as he thought that, Shuichi's feet moved faster.

"Fire!"

He stopped dead in his sprint, his mind screaming in horrified denial as he looked up at the-now on fire-familiar house. _"No…this can't be happening. It can't be…" _

The growing flames licked the edges of the house; it danced mockingly on the roof, a death-promising dance. All around, people were gathering. An eerie song of shouts, of screams filled the air. From a far off distance, the sound of fire engines wailed plaintively.

"NOOOOO!"

* * *

I think I've finally lost it. (not that I've ever _had_ it) I did try to resist adding crack into the story but…I just couldn't help it! The story was getting kinda gloomy and serious and I was wondering which Disney character suited Yuki best and Snow White came to mind because; you know, Snow White is Shira Yuki in Japanese… I kept telling myself to write a kiss scene all the way and…_this_ is what turned out. Erm…well…at least Yuki kissed someone! .:laughs nervously:. Not the right person though…a practice? LOL. I know teachers probably aren't allowed to take part in dramas but lets just ignore it for the sake of writing this chapter! .:rereads what she wrote:. Okay, I don't know what I'm crapping about anymore…Sorry. I'll shut up now… .:hides in a corner:. Oh yea, please review! 


	10. Scene 10

I want to express my utmost gratitude to everyone who reviewed. Thanks everyone! (Especially my regular reviewers, I love you people! -you know who you guys are!) Normally, I would personally reply reviews but I'm rushing and I'm sure you guys would rather have an update today with no personalized thanks than an update with it tomorrow, …right? LOL. Tell me if I'm wrong! Anyways, I'm glad you found the Snow White part hilarious. I was kind of worried about it but it seems like it turned out pretty okay! (Phew) Okay, I'll quit babbling and go on to chapter 10 now! Enjoy!

Oh, before I forget again, there was someone who asked me to e-mail when I update but the e-mail address you gave isn't valid so I couldn't send. Sorry!

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Gravitation... does not…belong…to me… .:dies:.

* * *

**Scene 10-When I take a look around, everybody seems so strong**

Shuichi stared at his burning house in horror. _"It can't be real! It can't be! This has to be a dream!_" Even as he told himself that, the acrid smell of things burning met his nose and the stinging fumes made his eyes water, convincing him otherwise.

Shuichi desperately hoped against hope that nobody was trapped in the house. Just then, a movement in a window on the first floor caught his eye. Heart sinking with deadweight dread, Shuichi fixed his eyes on it. _"Please let it be my imagination…please let me be paranoid…"_

The curtains were being drawn apart now. An outline of a figure appeared. A woman. _"No!" _Shuichi started dashing for the house, into the fire. He was held back immediately by a shouting mob. They struggled to keep him still. "What do you think you're doing? Are you trying to kill yourself?"

Shuichi ignored their angry calls; trying his best to break free and run into the rapidly burning house, mind focused only on the person he had seen. "Let me go! My mother's trapped in there! MOTHER!"

His mother seemed to hear his panic-stricken voice. She slowly looked down until her eyes met his; Shuichi felt his horror and despair fill every cell of his body. Why wasn't she trying to escape? Didn't she realize the house was on fire? Still struggling wildly, he shouted, willing her to sense the urgency of the situation, "MOTHER! RUN QUICKLY!"

Never looking away from Shuichi, Nanri lifted her index finger to her lips and shook her head, motioning him to be quiet. As he stared, her eyes softened and a gentle smile appeared. Shuichi felt like bursting into tears, so many emotions filled him. How many times had he cried himself to sleep, hungering for that loving expression? It had been a long time seen he had last seen it; too long. It was like time had winded backwards back to so many years ago, before his nightmare started.

For an instant, Shuichi was reaching for his mother, tears blurring his vision. In the next, burning planks were crashing down to the ground like an avalanche, blocking it completely.

Shuichi hands were still stretched out to where his mother last stood. Numbly, he vaguely recalled feeling his arms drop back to his side. The burly man, who was mainly pinning him to the spot, cautiously let go after he felt his struggles cease. Shuichi didn't move a step, eyes still riveted on the had-been window in sick fascination.

He never saw the fireman reaching, -too late-to extinguish the flames of what used to be Shuichi's home. He never heard the questioning voices, soft yet firm, asking if he lived there. He never noticed a car screeching to a stop, never saw the blonde man hastily kicking the car door open and rushing over, harshly telling everyone to shut up and get lost. Shuichi never felt the warm arm pressed on his back comfortingly. The man didn't utter a single syllable. Just held him tight.

Tears trickled down his face as he finally drifted back to life, clinging on to Yuki like his life support. His mother had given his a strangely serene smile; had mouthed the words Shuichi could clearly make out, "I'm sorry."

It would be the last time he ever saw his mother.

XXX

The next day, Shuichi didn't go to school, and neither did Yuki.

"Shuichi, stop being stubborn. Eat already!"

Silence answered him. Sighing, Yuki sat down on the bed where Shuichi was burrowed under the blankets. The night before, he had immediately buried himself in there after Yuki had forced him to take a bath, muttering that he wasn't hungry and wanted to sleep. Yuki though, knew he hadn't gotten much sleep, after all, he had been kept awake all night long listening to heart-wrenching muffled sobs.

Yuki was about to peel the blankets off Shuichi when the doorbell rang. He would have opted to ignore it but whoever the caller was wasn't going to give up that easily. Yuki marched towards the front door angrily as the irritating bell sounded again and again insistently.

"All right already! I heard you! What time do-" Yuki stopped mid-growl when he saw two policemen waiting outside; one was a stodgy fellow with a thin moustache and the other a stern looking tidy man with a no-nonsense aura. "Yes?"

Mr. Thin-moustache-policeman introduced himself. "Good morning. My name is Fujisaki and my colleague over here is Tashiro.

Mr. No-nonsense-policeman nodded his head in greeting, his grim face showing no hint of a smile. "We presume you are Uesugi Eiri-san?" When Yuki gave a curt nod as confirmation, he continued. "We are here to investigate certain activities a student of yours, by the name of Shindou Shuichi, is alleged to be involved in."

He looked at Yuki with unblinking eyes, never showing a change of expression. "We believe he is in this house now."

XXX

"Let me repeat-you were walking home after a competition at school when you heard screaming. You went over to the commotion and found your house burning. Is that right?"

Slumped on the couch with Yuki beside him, Shuichi nodded wearily. Opposite him, the two officers were scribbling his testimony down. They had been at it for two hours already and Yuki was feeling extremely irritated. _"How many times do they need to make him repeat? Did they expect him to confess starting the fire after the fourth time or something?"_

Fujisaki then addressed Yuki. "And you were driving back home after the same competition when you saw your student, outside his house."

"Yes", Yuki growled. Why were they even asking when they already know what happened?

Fujisaki had been doing most of the talking while his partner remained silent, eyes never leaving Shuichi's, making the boy fidget about uncomfortably. He suddenly spoke up, "Why are you living in your teacher's house?"

Yuki tensed at that question. Answering in Shuichi's place, he curtly said, "I don't see what this has to do with anything."

Not even bothering to look at Yuki, Tashiro kept his eyes on Shuichi, replying. "I believe my question was directed at Shindou-san here. Well?"

Shuichi was quiet, no sign of what he was thinking showed on his face.

The officer leaned closer. "No answer? Fine, we'll leave that for now. Let's talk about your parents instead. I understand that your father's whereabouts is unknown and you've never met him?"

When Shuichi nodded, he smoothly continued. "I heard that the woman who died in the fire was your mother. If I'm not wrong, she was seeing someone. Am I correct?"

Receiving yet another nod, he plunged ahead. "They abused you, didn't they? Your mother had a lot of debts and she used you to pay for it, didn't she? Didn't you hate them for it? Didn't you resent them or swear revenge on them? After all, you would be free once they were dead and gone."

"_So that's why they're here!"_ Yuki had enough. He stood up and glared at both policemen icily. "That's enough questioning today. If you don't mind, I'm a busy person and I need you two to leave."

Getting the not so-subtle hint, Tashiro stood up and smirked. "Whatever it is you two are hiding, we'll find out."

"GET OUT!"

XXX

After kicking them out and slamming the door rudely in their faces, Yuki headed back to the living room, pausing at the doorway. He silently observed Shuichi, cursing the two imbecile idiots for bringing up that sensitive subject. Shuichi hadn't moved from the couch. He was gazing blankly at the floor, body posture speaking just how worn out he was. As seconds turned to minutes, his expression got more and more forlorn. Not able to take it anymore, Yuki unfolded his arms and crossed over, stopping right in front of Shuichi.

He tried getting his attention. "Shuichi."

No response.

"Shuichi!"

No response.

Yuki sighed. He squatted down so he could look up at Shuichi's face and smiled lightly. "Hey, you stupid brat. Why do you have to be so unfair?"

Shuichi blinked back to reality and found himself gazing into Yuki's eyes. "Unfair?"

Yuki shook his head and sighed mockingly. "You can't just zone out and be all depressed, its unfair. After all, I still haven't thanked you for what happened during the drama. You haven't forgotten, _riiight_?"

"N-no! Of course not!" Shuichi managed to squeak out as Yuki drew his words out, emphasizing them. _"Rats! He remembered!"_

Yuki deliberately ignored Shuichi's nervous reply-no way was he getting away so easily. Drawing closer, he commented innocently, "We didn't win though, I'm sorry."

It should be a crime to look that angelic. Distracted from his brooding, Shuichi edged away just a little. "D-don't be sorry!"

Smirking inwardly, Yuki slowly rose and cornered Shuichi. Their positions were reversed now, Yuki on top and Shuichi below. "Still…I must say I was quite upset about the ah-_incident _that occurred during the play. It was my first kiss, you know."

"Liar!" Completely out of his depression by now, Shuichi sputtered back in indignant disbelief as Yuki slowly leaned even closer, watching his reaction carefully. Shuichi could now feel Yuki's warm breath on his face; he didn't attempt shying away.

Foreheads almost touching now, Yuki whispered slyly. "First kiss, second kiss, what does it matter? The point is, my kiss got stolen. You'll just have to give it back, don't you?" Taking Shuichi's weak incoherent mumble of a protest as an agreement, Yuki tenderly pressed his lips to his, effectively silencing him.

Getting no response, he immediately began pulling away, worried that he was going too fast. As he did so, he felt himself being pulled down again. Looking down, he saw Shuichi's hands tugging at his shirtsleeves. Shuichi gave him a small smile and teased, "Did you want Hiro to kiss you again that badly?"

In answer to that, Yuki just captured his lips, unable to fight back a little grin as he made it crystal clear just who _exactly_ it was he wanted to kiss.

XXX

"You sure this is it?"

At school today, Hiro and Ryuichi had been shocked beyond comparison when rumors of Shuichi's house being burnt down reached their ears. Discovering that both Shuichi and Yuki were absent, they decided to drop by Yuki's house and make sure Shuichi was still breathing.

Hiro scanned his address book. "Yeah, Yuki-sensei's house is this one."

Ryuichi took a deep breath as rang the doorbell. "Okay, here goes nothing."

XXX

Yuki sighed, watching a haggard-looking boy sleep, his hand unconsciously reaching out to ruffle his hair_. "Really now. The brat's so much trouble. Just when I thought it was the end of one problem, a dozen more complications just pop out of nowhere like weeds."_ Yuki massaged his temple and thought ruefully, _"As much of a headache he gives me, I keep him near anyway…Still, this a serious problem even by Shuichi's standards." _He frowned as a barrage of unpleasant thoughts ate at him, _"A fire, huh? Did his mother finally come to her senses and realized the only way she could atone was to kill herself? Was it her boyfriend? Was it 'them'? His mother DID die…maybe it was suicide after all?_

Yuki was rudely startled out of his reverie when the doorbell rang for what was probably the seventh time that day. Promising creatively bloody death if it was two certain cops, Yuki marched towards the door and jerked it open. Recognizing them, he allowed his murderous aura to drain away. "Sakuma, Hiroshi."

The duo nervously replied the short greeting, terrified out of their wits at the 'You-_WILL_-Die" waves practically rolling off Yuki.

Hiro had to resist the urge to hide behind Ryuichi_, "Shit! Is he that pissed over the kiss scene?" _He couldn't help babbling out, "It _wasn't_ my fault! Honest!"

Yuki just glared at Hiro appraisingly, "Are you on crack?"

Ryuichi asked Yuki just a little fearfully, "I-is Shuichi here?"

Yuki didn't bother to reply, he just opened the door wider and gestured for them to enter. Once inside, Yuki headed straight for the bedroom, "Shuichi's sleeping now. I suppose he'll be waking up soon. Until then you can wait inside."

They expressed their thanks to Yuki and he left the bedroom. Since there wasn't a chair nearby, both settled for gingerly sitting on the edge of the king-sized bed. It was plain to see that there were _two _people staying in the room. Hiro waggled his eyebrows at Ryuichi suggestively and Ryuichi had to agree with him. He sighed melancholically, trying to keep his voice as low as possible, "You're right, Hiro. Our Shuichi's all grown up now…"

"…ro…ichi…?"

They simultaneously glanced at Shuichi as he mumbled sleepily, yawning.

Shuichi opened his eyes a crack, he was sure he heard people talking. Noticing his friends, he sat upright, rubbing sleep away from his bleary eyes. "What are you guys doing here?"

Said friends exchanged incredulous looks. "Um Shuichi? If a good friend goes missing from school and the teacher he's living with is also absent, and you heard rumors that his house is burnt down and he's being questioned by police, and you decided to pay a visit and discover it _really_ is burnt down, what would you do?"

Blink. Blink."…Oh…yeah…that…"

"…"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY 'OH YEAH, THAT'?", Hiro started shaking Shuichi, "Do you know how worried we are? At least give us a call!", while Ryuichi just stared at Shuichi.

Shuichi sheepishly apologized, "Sorry guys, there were a lot of things going on and I guess I was kind of in a daze for a while…"

Ryuichi, observant as ever, noted the slight flush on Shuichi's face. "Did something happen? Other than the fire, that is?

Shuichi responded with a flippant laugh, though he avoided meeting their eyes. "Other than that, nothing else happened! Really. Nothing else happened! Ahahahaha…", he trailed off guiltily.

"…"

"Hmm…I see…", Ryuichi murmured, completely unconvinced.

"WHAT ELSE HAPPENED?", Hiro resumed shaking more vigorously than before. Obviously, he wasn't fooled either.

Shuichi's face turned even redder as he continued denying vehemently, "No, really! Nothing happened! SERIOUSLY!"

"And I'm seriously going to stuff tranquilizers down your damm throat if you don't SHUT the hell UP!"

It was like instant coffee. You know, the 3-in-1 thing. As in 1-Yuki appears, 2- Yuki glares, 3-Yuki shouts. Ta-dah, instant silence!

"Yu-Yuki…"

Yuki sent the full blast of his glare at Shuichi; the other two had been wise enough not to even breathe. "Honestly! This is why I hate kids. You brats are so loud I could hear you all the way outside the house. Is having a conversation at humanly acceptable levels too much to ask for?"

Pausing in his tirade, Yuki scowled as he took a closer look at Shuichi and then strode over.

"_Eek! He's going to kill me!"_ In reflex, Shuichi squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for his early, violent death that was advancing at the speed of light, _"he's going to-…!"_

"Huh?" Shuichi decided to risk opening his eyes when he felt cool hands touching without inflicting pain. Yuki inspected him with a frown and muttered, "I knew it." Ignoring Shuichi's confusion, he glanced over at Hiro and Ryuichi, "You two, visiting hours are over. Go home now." 

Incensed, Shuichi made to get out of bed, "Yuki! That's mean!"

Yuki just pushed him back onto the bed and made his lie down, glaring at Shuichi darkly, "The sick should just be quiet and go to sleep."

"…The sick?"

Yuki rolled his eyes at the incredulous question. He knew the boy was dense but… "I knew it. You didn't even realize you have a fever, did you?" Not bothering to wait for his sure to come retort, he shifted his attention back to the visitors, "You're still here?"

"We're gone, we're gone!", the two quickly replied. "Bye Shuichi, we'll come again!" With that, Hiro and Ryuichi beat a hasty retreat before they trod on another landmine.

Yuki eyed Shuichi sternly, "You. Go to sleep. Now."

Shuichi meekly slid under the blanket and settled into a comfortable position. "Yuki…stay with me."

Yuki sighed in exasperation. "Give me a break. I'm just going to be in the study, I need to mark some stupid homework that's probably all wrong anyway, you know?"

"Okay…sorry." Shuichi watched miserably as Yuki left the room. He really wanted someone to stay with him. After everything that happened…his mother, the police…_everything_ really, he couldn't stand being alone. It made him feel so small and lost. Sometimes, Shuichi wondered if life was a game worth playing. When Yuki took him in, he dreamed that he finally found peace but now…_"mother…" _Shuichi felt a tear trickle down and he let out a small sob.

"I told you to go to sleep, didn't I?"

Startled, Shuichi turned his head; Yuki had pulled a chair right next to the bed and was holding a stack of books. Setting the books down on the floor, he readjusted his glasses irritably with one hand and sighed, "I'm right here so…just sleep."

Shuichi simply closed his eyes, smiling lightly in contentment. "Okay."

Just before drifting off, he swore he felt something like lips brushing across his cheek and heard a gruff yet affectionate whisper, "Brat."

XXX

Hiro and Ryuichi were taking a slow, somber walk back from Yuki's house, discussing about Shuichi. Hiro sighed, "We're so powerless…in the end, we couldn't do anything to help. Nothing at all."

Next to him, Ryuichi nodded. As much as it pained him, he had to admit there really was nothing much they could to about it. After all, Shuichi was now involved with even the police. Compared to the fact that they were mere students…they really couldn't be any help. "Still, at least he has Yuki-sensei."

Hiro brightened at that, "I know! I couldn't tell that Shuichi was sick even though we were talking for so long; Yuki-sensei knew right away the moment he stepped in."

Ryuichi was getting infected with Hiro's enthusiasm. "Exactly! And the way he made Shuichi lie down again…I feel like I've just seen something forbidden!"

Once again, their (now a daily ritual) commentary on 'Yuki and Shuichi's Forbidden Passionate Love' commenced, this time drawing (at least) partially right conclusions.

* * *

End Scene 10. There's your kiss scene! (With the right person too! LOL) I tried my best, hope its okay! As always, reviews keep me going so…(Hint hint) Heh heh. Until the next chapter! 


	11. Scene 11

Nowadays, I'm really short on time so I'll just thank everyone who reviewed here. THANKS! .:grins happily like an idiot:. As a reward for reviewing, here's the next update. Have fun

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I'm sure you guys are bored of this already, right? Still, it cant be helped…I don't own Gravitation. There. Happy now? .:sulks:.

* * *

**Scene 11-Is there anyone who falls?**

It was a clear, sunny day. Yuki watched Shuichi silently, expression concealed by a pair of dark sunglasses. Shuichi closed his eyes and took a deep breath as the cool morning breeze blew gently, mussing up their hair. Confident that he was mentally prepared now, he exhaled slowly and opened his eyes again, gazing at the quiet river flowing beneath the bridge.

Yuki softly asked though he already knew what Shuichi's reply would be. "You sure this is what you want to do?"

"Yes", came the simple and expected answer.

Shuichi removed the cover of the urn he was holding and ever so slowly tipped it's contents out. He watched without really seeing as the white powder flew out almost immediately. Yes. He was absolutely certain this what he wanted. After all, he didn't know any of his mother's relatives or friends, or even if she had any. Holding a funeral would be pointless. Realizing the urn was now completely empty, he set it down and picked up a basket instead.

One by one at first, he slowly dropped the white petals into the water below. Then, he turned the entire basket upside-down, allowing them to simply fall gently. Shuichi put the basket down and watched the dancing petals in the air, swirling downwards gracefully. They were white carnations. His mother's favorite.

As they landed elegantly on the water below, Shuichi watched as they mingled with his mother's ashes. They danced along to the rhythm of the calm water of the steadily flowing river. The white of the flowers seemed so pure, as though they were capable of washing away the sin-stained soul that was his Mother's.

Shuichi didn't shed a tear, though he couldn't deny his lower lip was trembling just a little. Unconsciously whispering, Shuichi bade his mother one last farewell, "May you rest in peace…Mother."

After some time, Yuki picked up the now empty urn and basket as a signal it was now time to go. Shuichi turned his back to the water and followed Yuki to his car. Maybe it was his imagination, maybe it was not, but as he did so, he thought he felt the wind kiss him lightly on the cheek, as though making a promise. Despite tears brimming in his eyes, Shuichi smiled. He couldn't explain how he knew, but he did. Somehow, he had unshakable faith his mother was finally free. She was going to move on, and was telling him to do so as well.

"Shuichi? Is something wrong?"

Shuichi blinked at Yuki. The blonde man was frowning at him, wondering why he had suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Nothing is." Shuichi ran a little to catch up with Yuki, slipping his hand into Yuki's. Yuki didn't pull away, nor did he say anything, he just gave a little squeeze in acknowledgement. A mysterious smile played on Shuichi's lips. "Nothing's wrong at all."

XXX

"Shuichi! Wake up, we're home!"

Yuki sighed and wondered whether the youth currently sleeping comfortably (despite his best efforts) in the passenger seat would wake up if he just kicked him out of the car. Literally. He had to restrain himself from actually testing that idea.

"_Oh well…Just a little while more can't hurt, I suppose…Even if we HAVE reached the house already." _Yuki watched his sleeping companion, smirking a little when he noted a pool of drool forming. _"Perfect, more blackmail material."_He was definitely _not _smiling because he felt relieved that Shuichi was almost completely back to his energetic, bubbly and noisy self or anything of that sentimental nonsense. Nope, not at all.

As an earlier incident occurred him, Yuki's frowned. While Shuichi had been throwing his mothers ashes along with flowers into the sea, he had felt someone watching them. When he had discreetly taken a good look around, he had found that they were alone except for a car with its lone driver. The car screen had been tinted a shade too dark for him to make out the diver's features clearly but Yuki had seen enough to recognize him. He almost one hundred percent sure it had been Shuichi's mother's boyfriend. Yuki didn't know what he was doing there but he had a feeling it was nothing good, and had hinted to Shuichi that they should go home. _"Damn…we don't need any more complications. What is that bastard up to now? If he's getting any ideas of doing anything to Shuichi…"_

RIIIIIING!

"What the hell?" Yuki swore at the loud sound coming from within his house. _"Did a bugler try to break in and set off the alarm?" _He shoved his car door open and hurried to the front door fumbling for his keys. Shuichi, wide-awake now, worriedly hurried after him.

"_That's strange…the locks are all intact, no sign of anyone forcing it open…" _However, as the ringing sound was still blaring on ceaselessly, Yuki ignored that thought for a moment and let himself in. Disabling the house alarm, he frowned when the ringing sound continued giving him a migraine. Belatedly realizing the sound wasn't from his house alarm, Yuki mentally cursed himself. Ignoring Shuichi's questioning look, Yuki ventured into the living room and ran a glance through it. Nothing had been disturbed. As he neared the bedroom, adrenaline surged as he saw a silhouette struggling with an object in _his_ bedroom. Motioning for Shuichi to stay behind him, Yuki rushed into the room, fully intending to knock the daring trespasser out. Just when he was about to deliver a punch, the unknown person, a man, turned around and revealed his face. Yuki froze in shock immediately, outraged disbelief written on face. "Tatsuha! What in the bloody hell are you doing?"

Tatsuha jerked his face up from where he had been so deeply concentrated on the object in his hands that he hadn't even heard his brother entering. "Brother!"

Yuki had finally found out the source of the earsplitting racket. Very obviously, Yuki's alarm clock-with a major attitude problem- had decided to play guard-dog while its surly owner was away. Eyes fixed on the offending clock screaming away madly, Yuki commanded in a deep growl that gave no leeway for protest. "Put the damn thing down and move away slowly. _Now_."

Not noticing the danger signals, Tatsuha continued fumbling with the clock, trying to switch it off. "Just a minute…why can't I turn it off? Is it this way? No? Hmm…this-…"

Fortunately for said clock, Shuichi could tell Yuki was about to go ballistic. He quickly sidestepped past Yuki and grabbed the clock from Tatsuha's hands, effectively silencing it before it got blown into smithereens as result from suffering Yuki's wrath.

All was quiet for a few moments, as the clock returned to its regular ticking, sounding satisfied and probably convinced it had done Yuki a favor. Tatsuha stared at Shuichi with his mouth hung slack open for a moment before wailing, "Unfair! How come it switched of for you and not me? That's favoritism!"

Shuichi danced out of the way as Tatsuha lunged for him and stared at him with a weird look_. "So this is Yuki's brother. It's really obvious they're related, they look so alike… that, and the fact they both have a serious complex about alarm clocks."_

Yuki stared in disbelief as Tatsuha started accusing the alarm clock, "You don't love me!", in a stupefied Shuichi's hands while gesturing dramatically and had to use every bit of his willpower not to throw his car keys with full force aimed straight for his head. "Tatsuha. What are you doing here?"

Ignoring Yuki's icy question, Tatsuha finally _really_ noticed Shuichi and squealed excitedly, followed with glomping. "You must be Shindou Shuichi! I can't be wrong! Sis said he had pink hair and yours is _definitely_ pink. Why didn't she mention how cute you were, though? Oh, how did you manage to stay sane living with my asshole brother here? How, Shu-chan? How?"

So, it wasn't bad enough that what Tatsuha did was basically breaking and entering, set off that blasted cocky alarm clock, practically ignored him, but was now even _touching _Shuichi? Who gave him permission to call him Shu-chan anyway? That was it. No more Mr. Nice Guy.

It only took Yuki a matter of seconds before he had Tatsuha forcibly pulled away from Shuichi. Ignoring his little housemate's feeble protest, Yuki grabbed Tatsuha by the collar and pulled him closer so that were eye to eye. Cold, hard golden eyes narrowed dangerously and he growled. "I asked you a question. What the hell are you doing here?"

At his bother's tone that spoke just how violent he was going to get if he wasn't supplied with answers, and soon, all hint of mischief and light-hearted foolishness faded away. Tatsuha met his bother's eyes calmly, not in the least bit scared. After all, as much of an icy bastard he was, he was still his brother and they had grown up together.

Shuichi looked from Tatsuha to Yuki and back to Tatsuha again worriedly. Things were looking bad. The last time Shuichi had seen Yuki so mad, he had beaten the hell out of a man so bad, he was bleeding and barely conscious. Absentmindedly weighing the alarm clock in his hands, Shuichi semi-seriously considered smashing it over Yuki's head when Tatsuha suddenly broke the tense silence.

"Brother…I came to warn you. Father knows."

XXX

She continued staring even after the blonde teacher had entered the house with a pink-haired male. She simply refused to believe what her eyes were telling her. She couldn't begin to put into words how hard getting Yuki's address had been. All she had wanted to do that morning was to find out why Yuki hadn't been showing up at school for the past few days. It wasn't like she was stalking him or anything. How was she supposed to know she would discover Yuki didn't live alone? This was the last straw. As a man who looked so much like her dear Yuki-sensei exited from the house, she hastily scrambled out from under the bushes where she had been hiding before she was found.

Miaka grinned darkly, her scheming mind already cooking up the next step to solve this new (and unpleasant) revelation.

XXX

After dinner, Shuichi was washing the dishes. Occasionally, he glanced over to where Yuki was sitting on the couch, smoking. He sighed. Over the time since he had moved into Yuki's house, he had noticed that Yuki only smoked when he was feeling stressed. Judging by the filled to the brim ashtray, something was bothering Yuki very much. _"He's been like this ever since his brother left…I wonder what that warning meant. His father knows? About what?"_

_Flashback_

"Don't play the mysterious messenger, Tatsuha. What is that supposed to mean?"

Tatsuha's eyes flickered over to where Shuichi was sitting. Getting the hint, Shuichi jumped up and quickly left, muttering he had some forgotten work to do. Left alone now, Tatsuha got straight to the point. "What do you think you're doing, letting a student live here? You know Father's going to find out sooner or later, what with all his connections."

Yuki snorted, "Is that it? So what if the old man knows? I have nothing to fear from him."

Why didn't his brother get it? Tatsuha shook his head slowly, and emphasized his next sentence; "It's true he won't do anything to you, but he can- to _someone_ else."

Realization dawning on Yuki, he let out a string of curses Tatsuha didn't even know existed. "If he dares lay on a finger on Shuichi, I'll make sure he damn well regret it."

Tatsuha got up, considering his task accomplished. "Well, I've done what I came here to do. Brother…you should consider setting up Shuichi his own place. Who knows what Father will do once he's found out his eldest son is gay?"

Yuki rolled his eyes heavenward, asking a question to no one in particular, "What kind of exaggerated bullshit has Mika been feeding you now?" Shifting his glare to Tatsuha, he growled. "Besides, I like women. Shuichi is…special. " Quickly switching topics before Tatsuha had a chance to get on his case, Yuki asked, "How did you get in here, anyway? What a pain…I have to change all my locks _again_."

Tatsuha grinned at his brother glaringly obvious attempt at diverting him. "Yeah, okay, you like women. Got it." Continuing before Yuki had a chance to throttle him, Tatsuha said "Anyway, there's no use changing your locks."

At Yuki's questioning look, Tatsuha walked over to the front door and pushed it open, setting a foot outside. "Don't you know? Mika always manage to duplicate your keys every single time you change them." Immediately after saying that, Tatsuha hastily stepped out of the house and slammed the door shut before Yuki could find anything sharp to throw at him.

"_Safe." _Whistling happily now that he managed to get in another round of annoying his brother to the point of tearing his own blonde hair out, Tatsuha shrugged his leather jacket on. He paused mid-way when he heard a rustling sound. Looking around and seeing nothing suspicious, Tatsuha blamed it on his imagination and continued on his way.

_End flashback_

Exhaling the breath he didn't even realize he had been holding in, Yuki stared at the swirls of smoke. Get Shuichi his own place? Was Tatsuha crzay? How could he even dream for a moment Yuki was going to allow Shuichi to move out? No way. He wasn't going to let Shuuichi live apart from him no matter what happened. Forget the teacher-student crap. As if he cared for things like that. He was already so used to having someone with him, he didn't think he could bear waking up alone in this cold empty house alone anymore. Couldn't bear the thought of going back to his monotonous life which mainly consisted of eating, sleeping, lavishing his family with his sarcastic wit and going to shcool. Which reminded him-

"You're attending class tomorrow, right?"

Wiping the last of the dishes, Shuichi placed it in the drying rack and turned around to face Yuki. "Yeah. The school will probably kill me for skipping a week, though…" As a thought occurred him, he stared at Yuki, berating himself for not thinking about it sooner. "What about you, Yuki? You're in even worse trouble than I am. You're a teacher, yet you skipped school for a week too!"

Snuffing his cigarette out, Yuki merely waved his hand uncaringly, as if that could banish away Shuichi's mounting anxiety. "Don't worry. I'll take care of it, it'll be fine."

"But Yuki!"

"Oh, shut up. My name's probably overused thanks to your seemingly endless need to end every line that comes out from your big mouth with it."

Fuming and completely thrown off track, Shuichi stomped over and kicked Yuki in the shin. "My mouth's not big, you jerk! Anyway, with all your smoking, your lungs are probably what's overused! Why do you even like smoking so much?"

"Ow!" Yuki clutched his shin in pain and stared at Shuichi in outrage, amazement and slight pride that he could kick so hard.

A sadistic smile slowly forming, Yuki reached out and caught a now retreating Shuichi's hand, pulling him towards him. "So…you want to play rough?"

A squeaky "Yuki!" was the only answer he got. It was enough. He tugged Shuichi's hand, causing him to trip and land on his lap. Gently cupping Shuichi's upturned face with one hand, he smirked, "Overused lungs, huh? The last thing he whispered as his lowered his face to Shuichi's was, "Why don't we test that out?"

XXX

Outside, it was getting dark. All was quiet with the exception of the sound of a dog barking some distance away. A black car was lined up by the sidewalk. It had been parked there for a long time, not that anybody noticed. The man inside watched as lights flickered to life in the house, deep in contemplation. He had been watching the two residents for quite some time. It had actually been a coincidence when he had first spotted them by the river.

Obviously, God was on his side- not that he believed in Him anyway.

He had tailed them all the way back to the house. Had seen a schoolgirl emerging from the bushes, doing who knows what there. Had observed as the man who was the spitting image of a person he would dearly wish to beat to pulp left. And now, as night silently approached, he ruminated.

Ryouji gave a cynical smirk as he decided his next step. Switching his car gears, he started driving away, smiling evilly to himself. Thanks to that slippery brat who had slyly managed to escape his iron grasp, Ryuoji's life was now currently less than pleasant. Shuichi had better enjoy his life while he could-because if he didn't cooperate, he would be joining his mother pretty soon.

* * *

Done! For this chapter, I have no comments. I think it was kind of slow… Anyway, someone commented on the lack of Tatsuha's existence in this fic so I added him! LOL. Anyone else I missed out? 


	12. Scene 12

**Yuuka-chan:** LOL. In answer to your questions, it's both-Shuichi only allows kissing and only because it's Yuki. And no, I didn't leave out any scenes of them doing anything more than just kissing because they aren't. Shuichi doesn't want to go further and Yuki won't force him to. Eventually, I'm pretty sure they'll do something more than that (It IS Gravitation, after all) but it would be a long, long time before Shuichi's ready. Hmm… did I leave out anything? Well, thanks for reviewing!  
**XmarjorieX:** The last chapter isn't any shorter, it only seems that way because I didn't do any review replying and also because of the spacing. .:Sweatdrop:.  
**Animeleah: **Haha! I guess this means I've earned a regular stalker? O.o Nuooooo! .:Runs away from Bobo the Clown:.  
**Kittey Rin:** …a puddle of slime…? Cool! Which story is that? Glad you didn't find anything to criticize. Thanks!

There was someone who asked how Yuki knew Shuichi was at his old house some time ago. Remember that Shuichi and Yuki were originally almost neighbors? Yeah. Yuki was driving home and he passed by Shuichi's former house on the way. He saw Shuichi there, house on fire, and well, you know what happened next. I hope that you're not confused anymore!

I've gotten lots of replies to the 'missing people' question and it's only now that I realize there's so many left out characters! Man, I'm so dense. Hmm…the most popular character to add in seems to be K. Lets see…if I were to fit him in this story, he would be…Yuki's father? LOL. They both have golden hair and a tendency to scare people witless after all…Nah, probably not. You guys would probably kill me!

What's going to happen from now on, you ask? What are Ryouji and Miaka going to do? Weeeeeell, read on to find out! .:grins evilly:. Thanks so much for commenting on the story!

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**Disclaimer: **Aya has no rights to Gravitation.

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**Scene 12-Wounds always hurt. Sometimes, they scar**

Shuichi stared at the bulletin board in horror, oblivious to the growing crowd of students gathering around to have a look. He was completely deaf and blind to the gleefully speculative whispers and the furtive glances not so discreetly darting in his direction. Shuichi's mind was racing madly as he tried to calm down and think rationally_, "I have to behave normally or they'll find out it's true. Who could have done this? Who could have even known?"_

Shuichi started pushing his way past the throng of students, avoiding all eye contact, and hurried away before they asked him questions he certainly didn't know how to answer. Once he got far enough, he broke into a run, a sheen of cold sweat coating him entire body. _"Yuki. I have to find Yuki."_

Miaka smirked in cruel satisfaction as she watched him scurry away, trying his best to look inconspicuous so as to avoid drawing attention_. "I warned you, didn't I? Too bad for you; it's too late to start running now." _Her eyes fell on the bulletin board, where many students had gathered and more were still gathering. Many, many more. Her smirk grew deeper as she admired her handiwork posted up on the board. _"With 'this', even the school administration will take action. Hopefully, they'll make him move out of Yuki-sensei's house. Of course, I'll be happiest if they just expel him altogether."_

'This' referred to a blown up photograph of Yuki and Shuichi leaving for school. Together. 'This' also referred to the detailed article that had cost Miaka an all-nighter. Hey, it was worth it. After all, it was a _very_ detailed article. An article on their relationship as 'housemates.' What Miaka liked best of all though, was the headlines screaming out in large, bold fonts, drawing passersby's eyes to it. -

'**Teacher and Student- An Illicit Affair?**'

XXX

"Yuki-sensei. Is it true?"

"Why are you living with him, sensei?"

"Does this mean…you like guys, sensei?

Yuki ignored the clamors of his students as he hurried towards his car. Looking around for a certain someone, he inwardly cursed, _"Damn it! Where the hell is Shuichi?"_

Yuki was not precisely in a good mood. Who would be? The moment he had arrived at class 3-C, the students had immediately started their ruckus, asking him if he lived with Shuichi. He had obviously denied it and sweetly asked a female student where they had heard that 'ridiculous and totally wrong' rumor. Blushing and stammering, ("Oh course I didn't believe it, Yuki-sensei!") she had blabbered out that one of Shuichi's classmate, a girl, had told them. Now, although there were at least twenty of 3-A's students that were female, Yuki had inkling as to who the culprit was. He promised himself to at least avoid slapping her unconscious. Permanently anyway.

Too bad he hadn't realized just how far spread the word had flown until school let out. It was _then_ the students had started their full-scale racket, cramming into the staff room and basically demanding Yuki to clarify the situation. It was sort of worth it, in a way, to see the usually prim and proper faculty members flustered at all the vocal harassment. Well, he wasn't really worried about the higher ups themselves getting involved. He just hoped some of his more obsessed (and aggressive) fans had not taken it to mind to go after Shuichi for 'stealing' him away from them or something like that.

He slowed down considerably as he reached his car, an irritated frown etched on his face; he so didn't needthis now. The parking lot was deserted save for a lone person leaning against Yuki's car, apparently waiting for him. Much to Yuki's despair, it was _not _Shuichi. It was Miaka.

Stopping right in front of her, Yuki snarled, "What are you trying to achieve by doing this?"

The girl just smirked knowingly, though the words that spilled out of her mouth were coated with a sickening amount of sugar, "What do you mean, Yuki-sensei?"

"You know damn well what I mean! Stop playing games. I warned you to leave Shuichi alone. How crazy you are for attention if you've stooped so low as to pull this kind of stunt. Featherbrained idiocy must be your first name if you didn't realize the attention you'll get from me like this is not very…_healthy_."

Yuki paused his rant to breathe, "So far, I've been lenient on you but this time, you've tested my patience to the limit. I suggest you do something about your stinking attitude before I do it for you."

It was at this point she started stammering, eyes shimmering with unshed tears, "How could you be so mean? I'm only helping you get rid of that nuisance who's clouded your mind! I love you!"

Yuki intercepted rudely, "Why, thank you very much but I hate you. Get lost. I don't even want to talk to such a disgusting, selfish and warped person. Are you even human?"

As Yuki got into the car, Miaka desperately clung onto the door with both hands, preventing him from slamming it shut. It was finally getting through her brain that Yuki was serious. In a last ditch effort to make him stay, she frantically tried to make him understand just how deep her feelings for him ran, "Don't say that! You're my life, Yuki-sensei! If only he wasn't around…Yes, if only that slut wasn't around, you would be mine. All mine! Why can't you see how much I love you?"

Practically screaming now, Miaka threw herself at Yuki, "I even burned his house down for you! You should be proud of me! You should have felt touched I would do anything for you! So, how could you choose him over me? I DID IT ALL FOR _YOU_!"

Yuki was too stunned to push her of his lap; shock rendered him speechless. His left hand, clutching the handbrake, tightened so hard, the knuckles turned white. Dusk was falling and it was getting dark, though not dark enough that Yuki couldn't see Miaka's eyes glittering with insanity. His lips were dry. He managed to force coherent words out in a cracked whisper, "You…You burned Shuichi's house down…?"

XXX

At the boy's toilet, Shuichi cautiously nudged the door open and took a peek outside. Noting the empty, silent hallways, he stepped out and send a silent prayer to whichever merciful god was watching, _"Phew…I finally managed to loose them. Who knew girls could be scary? Especially girls in love…"_ Shuichi shuddered a little, _"At least the teachers didn't say anything… They definitely knows what's going on…I wonder why they're ignoring it…probably in love with him too." _

Snickering to himself, Shuichi glanced at his watch and cursed when he saw the time. How did time fly by so fast? He quickly hurried down the darkening hallways, hoping Yuki would still be waiting for him.

He reached the front entrance and jogged a little down the steps, eyes searching for Yuki's car. He was so focused on scanning the parking lot that he never saw the man coming from behind. Only when he heard a rustling sound and saw the growing shadow falling on the ground, did he turn around. By then, it was too late.

The assailant twisted Shuichi's arm behind his back, causing him to yelp in pain. A hot, sour breath whispered in his ear, "Long time no see, Shuichi. Did you miss me?"

Shuichi froze in overwhelming terror as the voice that haunted his worse nightmares met his ears. His heart was beating quick and hard, like a terrified little bird that was about to be devoured, and knew it. Shuichi whispered hoarsely, "What…what do you want?"

Ryouji grinned to himself in dark delight at Shuichi's fear filled voice. Looks like he wasn't going to need to do much 'convincing' to extract cooperation after all. He kept his grip on Shuichi tight; even if he was too scared to resist, Ryouji wasn't about to take any chances, "Why little Shuichi, that's a very good question. I need a teensy bit of…_help _from you," he leaned closer before continuing, "you see, Shuichi-kun, I've been in a fix ever since your mother died in that fire. The house didn't have insurance and I lost _everything_. I'm sure you're aware of her ocean-deep debts, right?"

Pausing for effect, Ryouji played with a blade, touching the cold steel against Shuichi's neck. Shuichi was shaking badly now. Satisfied with his reaction, he continued, "Since your fool of a mother decided to end her own miserable life, her debtors, for some reason, are coming after me. _Me_. You being her son and all, I think it's only fair for me to share this 'parting present' she so kindly left behind, with you."

Shuichi was too petrified to fully comprehend what the man was saying, but one thing rang clearly in his head. Licking his lips nervously, Shuichi carefully phrased his sentence. "That makes it sound like…like Mother killed herself. Did she burn the house down together with her?"

Ryouji only chuckled in sadistic amusement, "Shuichi, Shuichi, you could die any moment now and you choose to ask about that useless woman? Like mother, like son."

Obviously deciding he could afford it, he choose to indulge Shuichi anyway, "Well, believe it or not, I don't know. I don't believe she did it though; she doesn't have enough courage to do it. Your mother was like a mindless puppet, so weak and easy to control. All I ever had to do was to whisper a few suggestions, comfort her with sweet, empty flattery and she would willingly do anything for me," he snorted derisively, "What a stupid woman."

Rage was now eating away Shuichi's fear and he found his voice. He shouted angrily, "Don't speak about my mother like that, you filthy piece of scum!"

Ryouji narrowed his eyes to snake-like slits. Was the boy _actually _defying him? That won't do, not for the purpose he had in mind for Shuichi. Snarling, he pressed the blade against Shuichi's neck till a trickle of blood seeped out, "Looks like a few months of freedom has made you cocky, boy! Well, guess what? Holidays are over! Time to get back to work."

Shuichi ceased struggling at that, a sense of foreboding draping heavily over him, "What…is that supposed to mean?"

Ryouji only laughed, "Did you know? Young boys like you are becoming more in demand. Your mother was at least good for one thing-giving you her beautiful looks. You would be surprised at how much some customers are willing to pay for a pretty boy like you. Remember your days of 'entertaining'? Well, since you're so experienced with men, it's going to save me a lot of hassle. I wonder how much money you can fetch."

Shuichi felt his insides turn icy cold as the implications sank in. His mind was screaming hysterically. Steeling himself for the answer, he whispered, "You…you're going to…sell me?"

Chilling laugher was the only answer he received. Shuichi couldn't bear to hear anymore. Desperately, he resumed struggling, more wildly than ever. His flailing arms managed to connect with Ryouji's nose. Grunting in pain and surprise in surprise, Ryouji loosened his hold on him. Shuichi immediately took advantage of that and sprinted in the direction of Yuki's car, adrenaline giving him speed.

Shuichi ran as fast as he could, wishing with all his might Yuki was there. As he neared the car, he could the car door was open, two persons were inside it. He couldn't make out whom the second person was and he didn't care. All that mattered was the telltale head of blonde hair the first person possessed. His heart soaring with relief, he started shouting, "Yuki-…!"

"…You burned Shuichi's house down?"

"_What...?" _Shuichi froze mid-yell, coming to a sudden stop directly in front of the car.

XXX

As the sound of Shuichi's panic-filled shout, Yuki tore his eyes off Miaka and focused instead on the disheveled looking boy, panting madly. _"Crap! How much did he hear?" _Yuki pushed the still blabbering Miaka off him, ignoring her yelp of pain as she landed heavily on the concrete ground and hurried towards Shuichi. He could tell at a glance that something was terribly wrong with him.

"Shuichi, what happened? Why are you so late?"

Shuichi shook his shock away at Yuki's voice and concentrated on his currently more serious problem. Hysterically, he started gabbling at full speed, "Yuki! Ryouji's here and he says he didn't kill Mother and he has lots of debts and he wants to sell me!"

At that last statement, Yuki's face turned white with fury. His voice went dangerously quiet. "He wants to _what_?"

Just then, Ryouji came strolling into view, having apparently completely recovered from the little injury Shuichi had managed to inflict. Sneering at Yuki, he mockingly drawled, "Well, well, if it isn't Shuichi's boyfriend-_oops_, I mean teacher. I do apologize for my mistake."

Moving totally on instinct, Yuki stepped in front of Shuichi, shielding him from view. He coolly replied, "Apology accepted. After all, I'm a very compassionate man; I understand that lunatics sometimes don't have the very best manners."

Ryouji snarled, "Why, you shitty asshole!"

Flipping his blade out again, he lunged at Yuki, throwing all his weight. Yuki easily evaded him and was behind Ryouji's back before he even knew what happened. They grappled for the blade; Yuki easily overpowered the other man and grabbed it from his hand. Yuki had won and Ryouji was, at least, smart enough to know this. Pinned to the ground, he stopped trying to free himself and settled for glaring at Yuki instead, breathing heavily.

Miaka got up and stared at the duo, eyes wide as saucers and mouth hung open.

Realizing she was the person Yuki had been speaking to, Shuichi started shaking Miaka, yelling furiously, "Is it true? You burned my house down? Damn it! I never did anything to you! WHY?"

"Why, you ask me? I warned you, didn't I? I told you to stay away from Yuki-sensei. You refused to listen so I burned your house down to teach you a lesson. You deserved it! Be thankful it was only your house!"

Shuichi stared at Miaka in soul-searing anguish as she laughed manically. His mother had died for such a petty reason? It was so pathetic; he would laugh if he weren't so close to tears.

His soft, pain-filled voice got Miaka's attention, "You did all those things? The threat letter, the pranks," another thought occurred him, "the one to blame for the bulletin board was you too, wasn't it?" Not waiting for the answer he already knew, Shuichi continued in a monotonous tone, "You even burned my house down. All those don't really bother me anymore."

Shuichi fixed his haunted eyes on hers, not blinking even once, "What I can't forgive, and never can, is that you killed my mother."

Miaka was horrified, "Your…mother? I…killed…? You're lying…aren't you? No one was there…right?"

Shuichi just remained silent, shaking his head sadly.

The atmosphere was so silent, the chirping of insects coming out for the night could be heard. Overhead, the moon was semi-visible now; the sun, weary after a day's hard work of beaming light rays having retreated for sleep. All eyes were riveted on Miaka as she continued denying the consequences of her rash action; her mumbled protests were betrayed by her trembling voice.

"Hah. What the hell is going on? All because of an immature dimwit's jealousy, I'm six feet deep in shit?"

Ryouji's outraged exclamation jolted Miaka out of her attempts at self-delusion and brought her attention to him. She looked at him, this time _really_ looking. As she took in his face, incredulous recognition flooded her eyes.

She exhaled shakily, voice full of doubt and disbelief, "Fa…ther…?"

* * *

End Scene 12. 

BUAHAHAHAHA! Ryouji is Miaka's father? Miaka burned Shuichi's house down?  
Just in case some of you are confused, Miaka thought all she had burnt down was Shuichi's empty house. That's why she didn't know it's her fault Shuichi's mother is dead. What will happen next, I wonder? Heh heh heh.


	13. Scene 13

**Disclaimer**: Nope, don't own it. Darn.

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**Scene 13-I notice and discover, that I don't belong**

That brought Ryouji up short and he squinted at Miaka. Apparently, he recognized her too; he flung an arm over his eyes and started laughing so hard till he had to struggle for breath, wheezing. "Sheesh, if I believed in fate, I'd say this is one screwed up reunion. Since I don't, I'll just point my finger at coincidence."

Somewhat bewildered over the unexpected development, Yuki let Ryouji go and took a step backwards, stopping next to Shuichi.

Miaka approached Ryouji hesitantly with a wondering look as he got up, rubbing his writs, "I can't believe this…I thought you were dead. My foster parents said they adopted me because you died in accident…The only thing I have left of you is a photograph. What happened to Mother then?"

Ryouji eyed her with amusement, "Dead? Me? No, no…the one who died was your mother. She was so annoying, you know? Always nagging me to stop drinking, stop sleeping around, show more concern for you…well, she's dead now and I say good riddance."

"You…you _killed_ her?"

A snort, "Yeah right. Don't make it sound like I'm the friendly neighborhood mad-axe chopper. She wasn't even worth the effort. She genuinely died in a car accident; you should remember. After all, you were there." Ryouji grinned, "Come to think of it, it's you I have to thank for that woman's death."

At Miaka's confused expression, his grin only grew wider, "She died shielding you during the collision-she's dead because of her precious baby girl."

Miaka shaking knees was barely able to support her now. She steadied herself and stared at the man who was her father in absolute horror and revulsion. "Then…if you were alive…why was I adopted?"

Ryouji rolled his eyes in contempt. "Are you as stupid as your mother? What a pity, for a moment, I thought you were lucky enough to take after me." He gave Miaka a casual smile as he continued, "At that time, I was short of money and taking care of children is a pain-I'm sure you understand. Obviously, the most logical solution was to sell you off-and I did. After all the headache having you around gave me, I deserved a reward."

He scoffed at his daughter's expression of deep pain and betrayal, "Oh come on, don't look at me like that. I still remember the situation so many years ago. The Akino's wanted a child badly. Although they were willing to pay a hefty sum for it, the adoption process eats up a lot of time; time they weren't willing to wait. Since they were so pitiful, I did them a favor and offered you for sale. See, wasn't it nice of me?"

Tears feely swimming down her cheeks, Miaka shrieked at Ryouji, "I _HATE _YOU!" before running off into the dark, sobbing her heart out.

Ryouji merely raised an eyebrow and chuckled in perverse amusement, "I wonder why she's so upset. Was it something I said?"

Miaka already forgotten, he shifted his attention to Shuichi. Yuki automatically blocked Shuichi protectively, slanted golden orbs coldly warning Ryouji to stay away. Getting the picture, Ryouji raised his hands in mock surrender, "Okay, okay. I get it. I'll leave the boy alone," he couldn't resist smirking, "for now."

Yuki didn't even bat an eyelid at the thinly veiled threat, "What makes you think there's going to be a next time? You're going to jail." Feeling a tugging sensation, he snapped at Shuichi without even looking at him, "What? I'm kind of busy here."

"Yuki…let him go…"

At Shuichi's weary plea, Yuki whipped around and snapped furiously, "What do you mean 'let him go'? Shuichi, he wants to _kidnap_ you. Have you lost your mind on top of everything else!"

"Yuki…Please. Just…forget it, I'm so tired of everything…"

Normally, Yuki would insist on throwing Ryouji behind bars and ensure he stayed there for-oh, at least this lifetime. Shuichi's words however, threw him off balance. Yuki sighed. For all the hardship Shuichi had gone through, never once had he allowed such defeated words escape his lips.

He glared warningly at Ryouji, "Go, and don't ever come back. Be thankful you're still in once piece."

Ryouji mockingly bowed, "Why, I do thank you, _your majesty_."

Yuki didn't grace that with a reply, though his hands involuntarily curled into fists_, "Like real I'm letting you go scot-free. Right now, Shuichi's more important but the moment I get home, I'm going to do some research on maximizing your stay in prison."_

He watched until Ryouji disappeared into the dark night before turning to Shuichi, "Enough fun and games for one day. Let's go home."

Shuichi just nodded weakly, intensely relieved Yuki hadn't deprived Ryouji of body parts or even maim him a little.

XXX

"Ouch!"

"Oops! I'm _sooooo _sorry, didn't see you there at all now did we?"

Shuichi just got up and brushed the dirt off his clothes without responding to the sickly-sweet voice. He sighed as he watched the three girls walk away, laughing meanly as they did. How long were they going to keep it up?

The only upside was that Miaka was absent that day. He frowned. Yuki was all for the police but Shuichi had been adamant about leaving her alone. In truth, he felt sorry for her. With a father that sold his own daughter, who could blame her for turning out so twisted? Sure, she had been bent of making his life miserable but didn't everything turn out well in the end?

After all, he hated his former house. Miaka was more than welcome to flame it down to ashes ten times over if she felt like it. As for his mother…right now he was still furious at her but…he knew, one day, he would thank her for setting his mother free.

Shuichi slowly walked back to the classroom. It was only ten in the morning and he had already been tripped twice, 'accidentally' knocked down thrice and even had chewing gum somehow finding it's way into his hair.

He stopped near the biology lab door, bracing himself. _"This is going to be the worst class ever. Sheesh, can't those crazy Yuki-obsessed girls go stalk him instead of picking on me? I really hate this…"_

The moment Shuichi stepped in, the class fell silent, though not for long. Almost instantly, malicious whispers, loud enough for Shuichi to hear, buzzed throughout the room. "He actually came. Can you believe the nerve of him?" "Poor Yuki-sensei! He must have been completely fooled by this conniving sneak!" "Some assholes just don't know when they're not welcome."

Shuichi went to his seat quickly, eyes cast down. Inwardly, he winced. For some unlucky reason, his ears seemed unable to block out a single word. He knew he was going to have a hard time at school today but still...it hurt. Having people he barely knew single him out for bullying was downright depressing. _"Well, it's only to be expected. Between me and Yuki, people would obviously choose to blame me and consider Yuki the unsuspecting victim."_

Shuichi felt something hit him right smack at the back of his head. Feeling a slimy patch of hair, Shuichi closed his eyes and took a deep breath, blinking back tears fiercely. He felt a warm hand patting his back comfortingly. Hiro smiled encouragingly at him, "Don't worry, Shuichi. I'm here for you," he increased his volume deliberately, "just in _case_ some people decided to be lame jerks!"

Shuichi couldn't help a small grin as several classmates nervously averted their eyes from Hiro's laser glare, "Thanks." He was determined to be strong. No matter how utterly frustrated and wronged he was, Shuichi was _not_ going to give them the satisfaction of seeing him upset.

XXX

Yuki raised his voice even louder as the students of 3-A's game of prank-playing on Shuichi escalated, wildly battling off the urge to just start flinging books at them, "If you would kindly pay attention-…!"

Splat!

"WILL YOU LITTLE MONSTERS BLOODY STOP THAT ALREADY!"

Yuki breathed heavily and glared icily at the suddenly deathly quiet class, zooming on to the unfortunate fool who had delivered the latest spitball to Shuichi. All eyes were transfixed on Yuki, wide with shock.

Yuki smirked grimly without saying anything, enjoying their discomfited expressions as he allowed the silence to drag on. He would say it was about time somebody ground some common sense into their miniscule feather stuffed heads.

"All of you. Stand up. _Now_."

They jumped a little as Yuki suddenly ordered them curtly, breaking the tense silence without warning. Still shell-shocked, they hastily obeyed. Only Shuichi remained seated, staring at Yuki as a wave of foreboding drowned him. _"Oh no…he wouldn't. He promised to stay out of this!"_

Yuki pointedly ignored Shuichi. Sure, he had agreed to let Shuichi take care of this by himself, although he hadn't been too happy about it. However, that was because Shuichi had insisted nobody would take the rumor seriously and that it would snuff out in no time.

"'_They'll get over it.'" _Yuki mentally snorted, "_Sure they will, and they'll probably send him flowers along with heart shaped chocolates just for the heck of it as well-after they cremate his body anyway."_

Yuki decided on the boy right at the very back of the room. Earlier he had been busy having fun throwing pieces of paper at Shuichi. Feeling Yuki's gaze on him, he twitched nervously. Evidently, he wasn't having very much fun right now.

"Otoori-san, can you tell me why I asked everybody to stand?"

"Be-because we…we were pic-picking on Shindou…?"

Yuki smiled proudly, "Very good."

Yuki shifted his attention to the boy sitting directly behind Shuichi. "Kenichi-kun, can you tell me why were all of you picking on Shindou-kun?"

"That's…I mean…He's…I-…"

Ruthlessly cutting the boy's helpless stammering, Yuki interrogated another student. "Maki-_chan_, why were you putting glue on Shindou-kun's chair?"

"O-oh… about that…I was just…um…. I was just-…"

Yuki smiled at her kindly, "Oh, I see. You were worried Shindou-kun might somehow just slide off his chair, right? How very sweet of you!"

Ignoring her blubbering, Yuki locked onto his next target. "Saitou-san, what do you think of me?"

Blushing prettily, the girl fiddled with her hair. "What do I…Err…I-I think you're ho-hot!"

Yuki smiled at her in sardonic amusement, "Why, thank you very much. It's nice to know you find me 'hot'. That's not precisely what I meant though. Let me rephrase it-what do you think of me-_as a teacher_."

Leaving an extremely mortified student behind, Yuki moved onto his next victim in dark satisfaction. "Takahashi-san, how about you? Are you in love with me too?"

The girl, having seen the fate suffered by those who dared answer that, shook her head vehemently, "N-no! I-uh…I think you're the best teacher ever! There isn't any other teacher we would prefer over you." Enthusiastic now that she was convinced she was on the right track, she nattered on, "You're a model teacher, everybody likes you! Not to mention, you're nice and kind! You're really patient with us and…and you're a brilliant teacher and…and you're nice…"

Yuki raised an eyebrow mockingly as she ran out of steam, beginning to repeat like an annoying broken-down recording machine, "Oh, is that all?" He watched her fluster and flounder for a moment before deciding he had enough fun, "How nice. As a reward, let me have the pleasure of telling everyone here exactly what I think of all of you-as students, of course."

Dropping his smile, Yuki's narrowed eyes scanned throughout the room slowly, meeting each and every on of his students in the eye. Satisfied when not a single student could look at him without flinching, he brutally said without mincing his words "You're the worst," he paused to let it sink into their pea-brains, "every single one of you makes me sick, from your love confessions to your irritating squawking. Yuki-sensei this, Yuki-sensei that; you don't even know me. Well, guess what? This is who I am-and I bloody hate you."

Yuki stalked to Shuichi's table and pulled a wide-eyed Shuichi up. Glaring round the classroom, he spoke in a dangerous tone, "Who I live with is none of your damn business but I'll just make this clear anyway; the one who got 'poor Yuki-sensei' into all this was me, myself and I, so lay off your childish bullying. Don't you feel any shame?"

Yuki dragged a dumbfounded Shuichi to the door and forcefully opened it. As he took a step out, he delivered his final blow, "By the way, don't ever call me sensei again."

"As of today, I quit."

XXX

_It's a pity you skipped school today! Where were you anyway? It was so dramatic! Yuki-sensei rushed to his beloved's defense like a knight in shining armor! He was so cool! Oh, but wait…does this mean he's resigning? NOOO! My precious Yuki-…!_

Miaka merely grunted occasionally into her cell phone as Yuka rambled on and on at the other end of the line. She thought in annoyance, _"Doesn't she ever shut up? I'm busy here." _She was rummaging through her foster father's study, searching for something she knew was hidden there.

The night before, she had cried for hours before shock and exhaustion finally took pity on her and carried her off to nightmare land. Her mother-no, her _foster _mother-had just taken one worried glance at her the following morning and told her to stay at home and rest, knowing full well Miaka would refuse to tell her what was wrong. That was earlier; now Miaka felt perfectly fine and back to normal. She had some things to take care of.

_Mi-a-ka! Are you even listening to me?_

Coming across cold, hard metal, Miaka grinned to herself darkly and reached for it with both hands, ignoring her cell phone as it smashed to the floor and broke into two.

Cradling it almost lovingly, she absently admired its beauty as sunlight creeping in from a slit between the closed curtains glinted off it. She started laughing, giggling a little at first. As she made for the door, gun in hand, her giggling gave way into peals of maniacal laugher. Her eyes were bright with insane anticipation. She understood that she had already killed before. Just one more couldn't hurt.

XXX

"I can't believe you! What were you thinking? You _actually_ shouted at them. Now, you've probably lost your job and I'm _definitely_ not going to be able to show my face in school again!"

Yuki just casually dug his ear, slumped on the couch as Shuichi paced agitatedly in front of him, ranting and raving. Yuki sighed in exasperation, "You're making holes in my carpet. Sit down."

Shuichi whirled around, glaring at Yuki, "Is that all you can say?"

Yuki irritably retorted, "What else do you expect me to say? You've been at it for two hours. Give it a rest already. I told you I hate teaching and was going to quit anyway-I just quit slightly sooner than expected, that's all. As for school, you can always just transfer. End of story. Case closed. Now sit down!"

"But-!" Shuichi started countering again when the doorbell rang. Glaring darkly at Yuki, Shuichi growled, "I'm not done yet. No way am I letting you lose your job just because of me," before stomping off to strangle the unexpected, unknown and unwelcome visitor.

Yuki just rolled his eyes and remained slouched, "Whatever."

XXX

Shuichi jerked the front door open to find Miaka standing on the porch. He frowned in confusion, _"What does she want now?"_

Assuming the reason she had decided to drop by, Shuichi impatiently gestured for her to go away, "Go home. I'm not going to call the police or anything. After all, it was a freak accident that my mother died. I just want to put it all in the past and forget about-…." He trailed off as Miaka simply smiled at him, a smile that didn't reach her glittering crazy looking eyes.

As though Shuichi hadn't said a thing, she revealed the gun she had carefully hidden within her jacket and aimed it directly at Shuichi's head. "Where is Yuki Eiri?" Without losing her chilling smile, she released the safety hatch, "After all, it's most exciting to die when a loved one is watching."

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ROAR! I'm sorry, everyone. I tried not to leave a cliffhanger but fate decided to have its way. The chapter would be too short or too long otherwise. (Sobs) 

Some of you may have noticed this update was a little late. My assignments are piling up not to mention I have to start preparing for exams…so I may start posting up a new chapter once a week instead of twice. I'll try my best to update as often as I can though!


	14. Scene 14

From now on, I shall hit the review reply button since it's faster that way. (Nods head) How come I didn't even notice it before? I mean, it was right there….I must be blind. Oh well, thanks to everyone who reviewed! It really encourages me to keep writing. Hugs and kisses to all my reviewers! Heh heh. I'm sure you guys are more interested in reading what happens next so I shall not babble any further. Enjoy!

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**Disclaimer:** Nope, nothing's changed. I STILL don't own it. Will inform you if I do.

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**Scene 14-If tears could be returned to the sea, would the pain and sins be forgotten too?**

Yuki was startled to hear shouting from the front door. He got up in irritation,_ "Must be one of his dumb friends again,"_ and went out of the room, fully intending to glare whoever was at the front door to death.

Including Shuichi, of course.

At the sight that met his eyes however, Yuki froze in shock, all ideas of creatively painful and red death wiped off his mind. Miaka was standing at the doorway but he wasn't looking at her-his eyes were focused on the gun trained on Shuichi.

Yuki took a step forward and she shifted the gun on him instead, smirking, "Oh no, Yuki-sensei. I'd rather you stay where you are unless you want to see Shindou's brains being blown away. Then again, I might settle for shooting you instead. Either way is fine with me."

Having no choice, Yuki moved back. He was taking no risk with her-who knew what an already insane person with a fully loaded gun may be capable of doing once angered? Yuki spoke slowly and calmly, stalling for time, "Akino-san. What are you doing with that?"

Miaka merely laughed, "Isn't it obvious, Yuki-sensei? Someone is going to die in this house today."

"Put that thing down. You don't know what you're doing. Do you want to get into further trouble?"

At Yuki's words, Miaka gave an eerie smile, "Oh, I know what I'm doing all right. Further trouble? Me? Is that even possible?"

Miaka shook her head at the rhetorical question before Yuki could reply, "I know I have gone too far for any hope of redemption. No matter what happens now, I'm still a murderer. It's my fault my mother died. It's my fault Shindou's mother died. Who's mother am I going to kill next? Yours maybe?"

It was at this point Shuichi risked speaking up, "I've already told you. I'm not going to do anything. So put the gun down, please?"

She snarled at him, though her gun remained aimed at Yuki, "Shut up! You don't know anything about me. 'I'm not going to call the police?' That's the last thing I'm bothered with! It will never change the fact that I've taken lives! It's not going to take away the guilt I feel! The memory of it will always stay…"

Her eyes started filling up with tears as she whispered the last sentence in anguish, "It's never going to take away the pain and loneliness I feel …"

Miaka continued where she had trailed off after a pregnant pause, "I know what I've done and despite what you may think, I'm not crazy."

Her expression one of a broken person by now, she repeated, "I'm not crazy... Believe me. I did it all for love. I loved you so much, I was willing to do anything to get you to care for me."

Her eyes were fixed on Yuki, filled with longing and despair, "I should have known you would never love me. You only have eyes for Shindou. Why didn't I notice it earlier? I ruined my own life because of you. Now that I look back, all I see is how stupid and foolish I was."

As Yuki opened his mouth to speak, Miaka smiled sadly. A tear slid down from the corner of her eye and she lowered the gun, "I shouldn't exist. I bring nothing but pain and sorrow." She looked at Shuichi and said, "I'm sorry…for everything" before turning her gaze back to Yuki.

"I…don't want to do this anymore. "

Miaka slowly raised the gun again. And touched the cold metal to her forehead.

Shuichi let out a cry and Yuki started forward, exclaiming roughly "Stop that! Suicide is not the answer to your problems; it's running away!"

"I know. But Yuki-sensei, I'm a weak person. I don't have the courage to start over. There's no point. Nobody wants me; you don't. Even my biological father doesn't. I only wanted to say that the person I love most in this damned world is you."

They could only watch helplessly as she closed her eyes. As if in slow motion, her finger began pulling the trigger-and fired off empty air. Miaka blinked stupidly for a moment as the gun was suddenly snatched from her hands, in a daze.

"You there! It's not very graceful to splatter bits of your brains all over someone else's porch."

As Miaka instinctly moved away from the heavily accented voice, Yuki swiveled around to stare at the speaker in surprise. He never even heard anyone approaching. Not that he resented avoiding getting a dead body on his porch but still…

A man with long blond hair tied up in a ponytail stood there, ignoring all three stunned people as he inspected Miaka's gun critically. The tall blond man shook his head mournfully as he fixed his piercing eyes on Miaka, " I cannot believe you."

"Why a M16? Why? Use a Magnum! It's so much more elegant. See?"

The blond man took out another gun. Caressing it almost lovingly, he crooned at it, "See this baby here? She's mine! All mine!"

Yuki felt another throbbing headache coming up as the stranger's serious tone broke into a passionate rant.

Shuichi continued staring in stupefied silence at the blond man, _"Okaaaaaay…Let's see. First that girl shows up and all but threatens to blast herself to the great beyond. Then, a weird guy just waltzes up from nowhere and merrily starts giving prep talk on the sexiness of gun barrels as if he sees people about to riddle their head with bullets everyday. More like, why does he even have a gun?"_

He absentmindedly wondered if there was something in the instant noodles he had for lunch. After all, that was the only reasonable reason he could come up with for this completely stupid and utterly ridiculous turn of events.

"….and if you polish it in the right direction, it might be generous enough to purr at you. Of course, you have to really strain your ears and…"

Miaka expression was priceless, her mouth agape. He-llo? She was trying to kill herself dramatically here. How tactless.

Yuki stared at the man incredulously as he continued rambling, irritation canceling out his shock fast, "Not to interrupt your truly enlightening speech but who the hell are you?"

At Yuki's curt demand, the man stopped talking immediately and he glanced at Yuki. Smirking inwardly as he met icy gold eyes_, "Good, Looks like the tension's completely gone,"_ he discreetly slid both guns in his trench pocket, away from Miaka. He took on a professional tone, "My name is K. Inspector K."

K flipped his id out and continued speaking smoothly as Yuki inspected the card suspiciously, "I'm here to bring a certain Shindou Shuichi to the police station."

XXX

Half an hour later, Shuichi sat in a room, staring at the charred item in front of him with a wooden expression. He wasn't really sure he wanted to know its contents.

_Flashback._

"M-me…?"

Shuichi paled further and swallowed hard when K nodded.

Yuki coolly asked, "And why does he have to go there? Shuichi hasn't done anything wrong."

K smiled at them, attempting to ease their apprehension, "Mr. Ue-"

"Yuki."

"Sorry?"

"I said, it's Yuki. Don't call me with that old fool's name."

K nodded, "Okay then. Mr. Yuki, please do not misunderstand. We're not accusing Mr. Shindou of doing anything wrong. It's just that there's something we think Mr. Shindou should see. Of course, you're most welcome to accompany him. You too, young lady."

Miaka only nodded dejectedly. This was it. Good-bye freedom. Hello prison bars.

_End flashback._

"Almost everything was burnt but we managed to salvage that. Some of the parts are gone though there's enough left to serve as solid evidence. Well Mr.Shindou, are you ready?"

Shindou concentrated on the table as K looked at him expectantly from across the table. On either side of him sat Yuki and Miaka. Both looked troubled-though for different reasons.

Shuichi focused on the item. A tape. Did he really want to know what it contained? He could walk away from it right now and be happy in his ignorance but still…it was a message from his mother. His beloved mother.

His now dead mother.

Making his decision, Shuichi took a deep breath and met K's questioning eyes with a steady gaze, "I'm ready."

Nodding, K pushed his chair back and stood up. Shuichi watched as K popped the tape into some sort of recording device and waited.

…_ichi, please understand…_

Shuichi started as his mother's voice filled the room and stared at the machine, mystified.

…_anymore. It's better this way. You can finally free yourself and be happy, away from everything. I'm sorry for being such a weak mother. I hate myself so much-I can't even protect my precious baby boy, my everything…_

…_lying. He's no good. If you ever see him again, run. Run as fast as you can…_

…_happy you found someone. Now, I won't have to worry about you because even when I'm dead, there's someone to take care of you…_

…don't cry for me. Forgive your foolish mother. Shuichi, I love you…

Tears were silently flowing down Shuichi's cheeks as the tape whirred to an end. Without saying anything, Yuki simply took his hand, comforting him in his own way. K motioned for a stunned Miaka to follow him out, giving them privacy.

As the door clicked shut, Yuki raided his pocket and produced a tissue. Shuichi gratefully accepted the offered tissue and dried his tears, "Yuki…"

"Yes?"

"Mother was going to kill herself?"

"Yes."

"It wouldn't have mattered whether the house had been burnt down or not-she would have died anyway?"

"Yes."

Fresh sobs escaped Shuichi's shaking frame, "I'm glad…Mother didn't die against her will. She's in peace now, after all her suffering. Is it wrong for me to feel that way?"

Yuki only pulled Shuichi closer.

"It's not wrong, Shuichi…it's not."

XXX

"Although the damage has been done, her sentence will be less severe than what it usually is considering we have proof Shindou Nanri was going to commit suicide anyway and also because your daughter is below eighteen years of age."

K watched the couple in front of him as the woman burst into tears, her husband patting her back comfortingly. Beside them, Miaka hung her head in shame. Whether the girl realized it or not, her foster parents loved her very much. Barely ten minutes had passed after he called them and they were already at the police station, anxiously demanding if Miaka was all right.

"We're going to have to keep Ms.Miaka in custody-unless, of course, you are willing to vouch for her?"

Miaka cringed at that. Why was he even asking that? After everything she had done, they were definitely going to disown her. At that thought, she felt a hard lump in her throat. She didn't want to lose them-how come she never realized how much she loved them before? She cast her eyes down, willing herself not to cry.

"Of course we will! Did you even have to ask?"

Miaka's head shot up at her father's crisp voice and stared at him in shock, "Yo-you will? Don't you hate me now? I'm mean and hateful and I'm a criminal. I'm not even related to you by blood!"

Her foster father gave her a warm smile, "That doesn't matter. Miaka, we raised you. You're our daughter and nothing would ever change that."

Brushing her tears away, her foster mother attempted to grin, managed a small one and added in "Don't you worry, Miaka! We'll take care of everything. You just take a break from school and rest."

"Father….Mother…."

As Miaka started crying, K smiled to himself at the touching scene and made an unnoticed exit, feeling happy that a case had been solved.

XXX

Yuki twitched as he eyed the commotion going on in his living room. How did this happen?

People could be found strewn all over the room, playing 'let's get to know one another." They were chattering away happily, occasionally giving in to frighteningly loud roars of laugher. He wondered if the neighbors were going to call the police-the noise level was that high.

"Forget that." Yuki glared at the oblivious blond man who was having a 'serious' conversation with Tohma. Police was already here.

"K-san, why did you decide to join the police?"

"Well Mr. Seguchi, it was my father's wish. He was a brilliant cop, couldn't stand any injustice and was a strong believer that every criminal, no matter what they had done, had some good in them. He died courageously, trying to arrest some armed robbers. When I heard his dying message was that I replace him, I decided to follow his footsteps in becoming an upholder of peace and law."

"Wow, really?"

"Actually, no. My old man runs a fishing supplies shop in America. I just wanted a reason to carry a gun. A legal one anyway."

Yep. A real serious conversation. Too bad it lacked intelligence.

He winced as he heard crashing followed by screaming from the kitchen. Maybe he should have warned Shuichi that Mika couldn't tell the difference between a whisk and a frying pan. Then again, it was Shuichi's idea. "Play nice, kids."

Yuki groaned inwardly as Hiro started fiddling with his half-eaten piece of chewy jelly. Apparently, he really had nothing more beneficial to do- he started pulling the jelly sideways before rolling it into a pink rubbery ball and throwing it up in the air. He caught it as it fell and threw it up again.

And again.

And again.

Really, this was all Shuichi's fault.

He had looked so glum in the police station that Yuki had suggested he celebrate the fact that the circumstances regarding his mother's death had been clarified. Yuki wished he had just given Shuichi ice cream instead.

Anything other than this.

Shuichi decided to invite his friends over for dinner and getting the green light to go ahead from Yuki, had started ringing people up.

How was Yuki supposed to know that by a 'few people', Shuichi had meant Hiro, Ryuichi, Tohma, Mika and Tatsuha? Since when was Yuki's family friends anyway?

Having done that, and completed wrapping up any unfinished business at the police station, K had sent them back to their house.

He was cursed-that was the only excuse Yuki would forgive for things happening the way it did.

When they arrived home, Ryuichi and Hiro were already waiting for them. It turned out K was some distant relative of Ryuichi's. Shuichi, bless his little pink head, had instantly invited him to dinner as well. Evidently, Shuichi was an avid believer of 'your friends are my friends'.

Yuki was going to send whoever who said that to an early grave.

When Ryuichi and Tatsuha attempted playing football with his empty _crystal _fishbowl, Yuki turned heel and fled to the safety of the toilet before he gave in to the maddening urge to snatch K's Magnum and actually use it. He didn't want holes in his clean white walls.

_Splat!_

Okay, fine. He didn't want holes in what used to be his clean white walls. Which was now decorated with a pink blob. Thank you very much, Mr. Look-at-me-I'm-a-rocket-scientist- Hiroshi.

"Dinner's ready!"

Yuki decided to believe God existed.

XXX

"If Yuki's not going to school then neither am I."

Yuki rolled his eyes at Shuichi's adamant statement and put his fork down, "You have to go, brat. You're a student."

"And _you're_ a teacher!"

"Not anymore."

"Why, what a coincidence! Neither am I."

"…"

Everybody watched as the duo glared at each other from the opposite end of the table and decided it was safer to just pretend they didn't see any sparks flying in a nonromantic way. Almost everybody anyway-Tohma tried.

"Uh, guys…"

He was promptly ignored by Yuki, "Next you'll be telling me you want to smoke, drink and drive!"

"That's not what I-hey, wait! Drive?"

"Over my dead body."

"That can be easily arranged."

Again, everybody tried ignoring the sparks-which were rapidly evolving into ominous crackling. Again, Tohma tried.

"Guys!"

Intervention: rejected.

"You're impossible!"

"And you're a full grown man who refuses to go to school and would probably would refuse to sleep in the dark too if it wasn't for his purple and green stuffed dinosaur!"

"What has-"

"Will the both of you kindly stop squabbling at the dinner table like five year olds and shut up before I make you two stand in a corner without any dinner?" Mika glowered at them intimidatingly, "_Dark_, separate corners."

As the entire table fell into astounded silence, Tohma sighed inwardly, "Well, I tried to warn them…"

Mika brightened up and smiled cheerfully round the table, pointedly ignoring Yuki and Shuichi who were now, in her eyes, disgraced. "Come up, eat up! What are you waiting for? The food is getting cold."

Hiro, K and Ryuichi quickly resumed shoving food down their throats, shivering a little. She may be sweet now, but they had seen her dark side and confirmed something they were happier off not knowing-Mika was one hundred and twenty percent related to Yuki.

Yep, no doubt about it.

Satisfied, Mika fixed her eyes on Shuichi's face and smiled sweetly, "Purple and green dinosaur?"

"Her name is Patchy-Poo."

"…"

"…"

"Patchy…Poo…?"

"…."

"…."

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"ALL OF YOU, SHUT UP!"

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Ta-dah! As many of you requested, K has made his appearance. LOL. Hope you liked the chapter-you know what to do if you do! Heh heh. Ja! 


	15. Scene 15

I'm sorry for the slow update! A combination of assignments, writer's block and sheer laziness kept me from writing this! I suppose it's a good thing it's almost the end, huh? LOL. For some reason, I've been unable to receive reviews in my inbox which is really inconvenient because I can't use the review reply thingies and just when I discovered it too…Ah well…

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I swear- it makes me feel a whole lot better when I see positive feedback! I really, really, reaaaaaaaaaaally appreciate them so thanks!

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**Disclaimer: **Yeah, right.

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**Scene 15-Would my love for you be enough to make you stay?**

"Yes, it's true. Now get lost."

As Yuki slammed the door for what seemed to be the sixth time that day, he groaned, massaging his temples. He was beginning to regret his little display of emotion at school.

Ever since then, countless teary-eyed fan girls had been ringing his doorbells nonstop, mournfully asking him if he was really going to quit.

Stalking into the kitchen to grab a cold can of beer from the refrigerator, Yuki groaned again. It was only nine in the morning. How many more times did he have to slam the door before his students-_former_ students- got the hint?

It wasn't as though he hadn't had enough problems without adding them to the equation.

Throwing himself into the couch, he eyed the bedroom door in irritation. Shuichi had locked himself in the room a few hours ago, when it hadn't even been early enough to be considered morning, insisting that unless he, Yuki, went to school, neither was Shuichi.

Personally, Yuki thought Shuichi just wanted to sleep in. He snorted. Served the brat right.

He had _warned _him not to touch the alcohol K offered. Shuichi, retaliating against the phrase 'too young', had of course, chugged the entire mug of vodka down. Which was why he had spent the night puking.

Yuki had been amazed; he knew Shuichi's tolerance for alcohol was probably weak but he still hadn't expected Shuichi to fall dead drunk the moment the mug touched his lips.

From now on, he was forbidding Shuichi from going near anything alcoholic, even if he was armed with a ten-foot pole. Even alcoholic chocolate.

It was simply far too dangerous for Yuki's sanity.

The point was, Shuichi was currently hiding away in the bedroom, probably still stoned, and Yuki was having a very nice headache kindly hammering his brain inside out while trying to think clearly.

Probably the only good thing that came out of the whole thing was that Miaka had been found guilty, effectively clearing any suspicion against Shuichi.

Although it had been mostly thanks to K who had ultimately wrapped the case up, Yuki was still never going to allow K to set a foot into his house again. Not unless the Magnum was in _his_ hands.

_Ding-dong._

Yuki continued sipping his drink. Maybe if he ignored it, the doorbell would just die from negligence and shut up. Hopefully forever.

_Ding-dong._

Damn. Guess it wasn't smart enough to know how to commit suicide.

Yuki growled and unwillingly got out of the couch, tossing his now empty can into the waste paper basket on his way out to 'greet' his victims-ahem- _visitors_.

XXX

Shuichi blearily opened his eyes. And instantly regretted it.

"Urgh, I feel sick," he mumbled to himself as he fought to keep his throbbing head from actually exploding.

Maybe he should have listened to Yuki's advise against finishing the entire bottle K offered. Still, it was Yuki's fault for calling him a kid. He hated being called that.

Shuichi couldn't remember much of what happened after that; he could vaguely recall being amazed at how loud Yuki's voice could get and also how incredibly sexy it had sounded even while spewing death threats at K.

Shuichi blinked in bemusement. Sexy? Where did that come from?

Shuichi sighed melancholically as he washed his face in the connecting bathroom. Maybe he was still drunk. Oh well.

Feeling decidedly better after he had taken a quick shower and changed his clothes-the world was spinning only slightly now, in contrast to when he couldn't even tell his right from his left-Shuichi tossed himself on the bed again, brows furrowing in thought.

He had woken up extremely early with the hopes of forcing Yuki to go to school.

He had tried everything he could think of to get Yuki to wake up- from pinching his cheeks to pulling the blanket off him to decorating his face in cold squiggles with green toothpaste but Yuki had just grumpily brushed everything aside and went back to sleep.

He hadn't even cracked an eye open.

Feeling that desperate times called for desperate measures, Shuichi had produced a bottle of neon green nail polish, complete with purple sparkles and everything.

Unfortunately for Shuichi, Yuki had learned to recognize the dangers of manicures and jolted awake instantly.

Obviously, Mika had been very bored as a child.

Needless to say, Yuki had almost eaten Shuichi alive if not for Shuichi pointing out that Yuki just wouldn't wake up. There had been yet another row over the academy thing and Shuichi had finally gotten fed up. He had pushed Yuki right out of the bedroom and locked the room door.

Shuichi heard Yuki stomp off after letting out a string of intelligible curses and he too, let out his own rather wide vocabulary of foul language that he was proud off and promptly went back to sleep.

Sighing as the doorbell went off for what seemed like the billionth time to him, Shuichi decided to unlock the bedroom door and let Yuki in. _Someone _had to be the adult in this childish argument.

Besides, he was hungry.

XXX

Yuki stared at his most recent guest in shock. Sure, Tatsuha had warned him. Still, he hadn't expected his father to actually personally drop by.

"Are you going to just stand there all day long without inviting your guests in? I thought I taught you more manners than that. And close your mouth, boy."

Yuki snapped his mouth shut and growled at the stranger who was supposed to be his father out of pure habit. "Shut up, old man."

Nevertheless, he moved out of the way and allowed his father to enter. It was only then Yuki realized his father had another person with him. Yuki closed the door as he eyed the silent man curiously.

Funny. He hadn't known his father was normal enough to have friends.

Seated in the living room, Yuki's father was just about to say something when the bedroom door burst open. "Yuki, I-"

Yuki inwardly winced as Shuichi came barreling out. Honestly, his day was getting from terrible to supremely terrible. Any efforts he would have made to keep Shuichi from meeting his father were now completely disintegrated.

XXX

Shuichi shifted uncomfortably as Yuki's father stared at him with an unreadable expression. That icy look was all too familiar. How many times had he seen it on Yuki? Still, it had been ages since Yuki actually used it on him.

Ignoring that, Yuki's father looked familiar for some reason. It wasn't because he looked like Yuki or anything; in fact, there wasn't a trace of similarity between them. Shuichi was pondering on that when Yuki's father spoke to him.

"You…must be Shindou Shuichi."

Shuichi nodded slowly, trying to squash his anxiety down.

Yuki's father paused for a while before smoothly continuing. "As you may have guessed, I am Eiri's father. You may call be Uesugi-san."

Shuichi stared at him for a moment, mind racing. _"Uesugi? I know where I've seen his face before! But Uesugi is…" _

"You're the academy's chairman!" Shuichi blurted out in surprise before clamping his mouth shut with a hand.

Yuki's father merely arched an eyebrow elegantly at him before saying, "Yes, that is correct. I suppose my son didn't tell you? I'm not surprised; he never did like people knowing. Says it's to prevent 'stupid, fat blubbering fools' from 'kissing him up'."

Assuming he could speak normally now, Shuichi removed his hand. "But Yuki's name is well…Yuki."

Yuki sighed, not caring anymore. If Shuichi was going to find out, he might as well tell him everything. "'Yuki' is not my real name, Shuichi. It's an alias. As misfortune would have it, I was born Uesugi Eiri."

Shuichi's eyes were on Yuki, though his mind was somewhere else. The pieces of the puzzle were clicking together now, giving the whole big picture.

No wonder Yuki never had to worry about anything; not being late, not skipping school, not living with his student. Nothing. If figured-he was the chairman's son.

Shuichi couldn't help feeling a little hurt. Yuki had never willingly divulged information about himself; it had always been Shuichi who had to bug him over and over again before Yuki would tell him anything.

And this…this was big. And Yuki had not deemed Shuichi important enough to tell. Or was it that he didn't trust him enough? Whichever one it was, Yuki had chosen to keep Shuichi in the dark. The more Shuichi thought about it, the more his throat constricted. He felt like he couldn't breath.

At Shuichi's silence, Yuki shifted his attention to his father, glaring at him. "And? You still haven't told me what you're here for. If it's about going back to that damned school, you can just eat your words because I'm not doing it."

Yuki's father calmly watched Yuki, assessing the situation before speaking up. "Don't worry about that. I'm am not here for that."

He heaved a resigned sigh before saying softly, "No matter what I do, you never understand that it is in my best interest for you. Fine, from today onwards, do as you please…Your father…can do nothing more for you."

Stunned, Yuki searched his father's expression for any sign that he was cooking up some big plot. He could find none. With shock, he realized that he really meant what he said. He was no longer going to try to control him. He was letting go of him.

And Yuki….Yuki was free.

Yuki's father was watching his son silently when a polite cough startled him out of his reverie. Chastising himself for forgetting the purpose of his visit, he turned towards his friend, who had been a silent spectator so far, his eyes apologetic.

Yuki's father straightened up. "Actually, I'm not here for Eiri today. I'm here for you." As he said that, he looked at Shuichi.

Shuichi eyed him warily. "Mr. Chairman-"

"Uesugi."

"Uesugi-san, if you're here to expel me, then don't worry. I'll leave without any fuss."

Shaking his head, Yuki's father said, "No, I'm not here to expel you. It's a different matter altogether and carries much more weight. First things first, I would like to apologize."

Shuichi stared. And stared. He couldn't have heard that right. "What do you mean?"

"As much as it pains me to admit it, I do make mistakes."

A snort from Yuki.

Yuki's father gave him a warning look before continuing. "And because of this mistake, I seem to have caused you suffering for many years, if what I heard from Tohma and Tatsuha is correct. This is a long story, so let me start from the beginning…."

"Many years ago, when I was but a child, I had two best friends, a girl and a boy. The three of us were never apart, sharing all smiles and tears together. But as we grew older and entered our late teens, disaster struck. I fell in love with the girl," his eyes grew misty. "Unfortunately, so did my other best friend. We drove her nuts for years as our friendship grew sour and turned into bitter rivalry."

He paused for a while as if he realized something, "I suppose even then, I was a bit pompous."

Another snort from Yuki.

His father ignored it and continued, "I believed I was better than him. That was why, it came as a huge shock the day we finally blew up at each other and I made her choose."

Yuki didn't snort again, he just stared at his father in disbelief.

Reading his look accurately, Yuki's father smiled at him sadly. "Yes, she chose him. Over me. The both of them pleaded with me to calm down and renew our friendship. I was stubborn as my pride had been badly damaged and I was angry. I left the country."

"Years later, after I had met and married your mother, I heard that they had gotten married. One day, the girl came knocking on my door. She was in a sorry state, begging me to help search for her husband that had gone missing during a business trip. At that time, I still hadn't forgiven her yet. I did the worst thing I could have ever done; I laughed at the girl I used to love-and turned her away."

Tense silence filled the air as they digested his story.

Yuki asked in confusion. "Not that it isn't nice to know you're human and all, but what has this got to do with anything?"

Yuki's father merely have him a condescending look, "What makes you think I'm done?"

"Many more years passed by and I forgot all about her. Then, a few years ago, I suddenly remembered her again. I wondered if she ever found her husband again and so, I started searching for the both of them. When I finally found him, I was shocked to discover he had amnesia. After a while, the memories came back to him and he started asking for his wife."

Shuichi interrupted, "What happened to her?"

As Yuki's father opened his mouth to answer, his friend lifted his hand up, signaling he would take over narrating. Shuichi gave a little start-he had forgotten all about the silent figure.

His voice was deep. "She died in a fire a few months ago."

His eyes were shimmering with emotion; sorrow and pain laced his voice. Suddenly, Shuichi realized who he was.

"I'm sorry. I should have introduced myself earlier. My name is Ishiharu Kai. My wife…was Shindou Nanri."

Shuichi gasped in surprise; Yuki's eyes merely widened-he _never_ gasped.

Kai's eyes bored into Shuichi's. "And you…You are my son."

XXX

Dinner was a tension-filled event that night for both Yuki and Shuichi. They had ordered pizza and were now eating-or rather, they were repetitively picking up a slice of pizza, frowning distractedly and putting it down again without actually biting it.

Eventually, Yuki gave up. He shoved his chair backwards and left the kitchen, muttering that he was full. Shuichi didn't stop him.

Switching on the television, Yuki wearily sank into the couch. He stared at the moving pictures, mind still whirling over the day's unexpected revelations. He remembered-what was his name? -oh yes, Ishiharu Kai's,-Shuichi's _father_- offer and felt sick.

Yuki resolved it by turning the volume louder.

XXX

Back in the kitchen, Shuichi nibbled his bottom lip as he too, gave up trying to eat and chucked everything into the refrigerator, even the tissue paper. The numbness shock had inflicted on his mind was finally going away. Shuichi sat down again and recalled his…_father's_-what a foreign word-offer.

He had been a perfectly nice man and Shuichi had taken to him instantly, something that didn't happen very often. His father had apologized profusely for missing out on most of his life and had promised to do all he could to make up for it, if Shuichi would let him.

Ishiharu Kai was a wealthy businessman, almost as rich as Yuki's father, even. Still, what Shuichi wanted -and needed- wasn't money and the man instinctively knew it. Therefore, he had offered Shuichi exactly what he had always yearned for. He had told Shuichi to take his time, think it over carefully , that they could spend more time getting to know each other, before giving him an answer

Ishiharu Kai had offered him a home.

Shuichi closed his eyes, and silently wept. The kitchen had never felt so cold and lonely before.

XXX

That night, Shuichi couldn't sleep. He lay awake in bed, still mulling over the day's happenings. Deciding to get a hot drink, Shuichi silently slid out of bed, hoping he wouldn't wake Yuki up.

"Shuichi?"

Shuichi froze, though he wasn't really surprised. It figured that Yuki would still be awake. "Yes?"

Yuki was silent for a moment before finally saying, "He asked you to stay with him, didn't he?"

Shuichi stared at the lump that was Yuki and cursed the darkness for not enabling him to see Yuki's expression. Hesitantly, he answered, "Yes."

More silence.

It was the most awkward situation Shuichi had ever been. Infinitely times more. He desperately wished Yuki would start shouting, call him a brat, smoke, anything! Anything other than this damned silence. Anything that would give him a sense of normalcy, of security.

"You should go."

No, no, no! He couldn't have heard right. He didn't want to!

"Yu-"

Shuichi started to protest but was immediately cut off by a nagging feeling gnawing at his insides.

Why was Yuki asking him to go? Didn't he want him anymore? Maybe he never wanted him in the first place. Yes, that was it. After all, he was such a bother, always causing trouble for Yuki, always a nuisance. Maybe it was better this way. If he left, Yuki could go back to school; he could get his job back. That way, Yuki's life wouldn't be ruined by malicious gossip and lies.

He only wanted Yuki to be happy.

And Yuki was happy without him.

XXX

Yuki had always prized himself to be a cold, heartless bastard. If he was cold, nobody could hurt him; if he was heartless, nobody could steal his heart; if he was a bastard, nobody could love him.

And he could love nobody.

So why was it that he felt that he just wanted to curl up and die at the thought of waking up without Shuichi? Why did he feel like he wanted to howl like a baby who would never laugh again at the idea living alone in an empty, lifeless house? Why did he feel as though his world had crashed down on him, shattering into a million little pieces with just one word?

But he had brought it upon himself.

Yuki Eiri had always believed he would die alone.

He never believed he would cry.

But that night, cry he did. He screamed and wailed in his heart as it bled tears. Cried at the soft final whisper.

"Okay."

By morning, Shuichi was gone.

* * *

Err...the end? .:hurriedly sneaks off before she is murdered:. 

LOL, just kidding! Till the next chapter! Do you want a happy ending, or a sad? I'm still undecided…


	16. Scene 16

**Disclaimer:** Maybe as a birthday present? (Hint hint)

* * *

**Scene 16-Why do you say "I'm all right", when loneliness is all you feel? **

Shuichi took one last look around the room, making sure nothing had been forgotten. Satisfied that all was in order, he reached for his brand new jacket-a gift from his father-and draped it over his left arm.

After reaching for the handle of his luggage, Shuichi wheeled it out, pausing as he came across the mirror hanging on the wall. He gazed at it thoughtfully. His reflection told him he looked the same way he always had-a short, slender youth with a slightly babyish face surrounded by waves of stylishly messy pink hair.

Probably the only thing that gave way Shuichi wasn't quite feeling like himself were his huge, expressive eyes. Eyes that spoke volumes of his inner turmoil. Currently, his violet orbs were dull and dark; something his observant father had picked up but wisely chose not to comment on.

Knocking on the door brought Shuichi out of his reverie. He glanced at the man standing at the doorway.

His elegant father was leaning against the door, frowning slightly in worried concern. "Are you feeling all right? You haven't been eating very much. Maybe you're coming down with something…we should stay another night just in case. We can catch a later flight. There's no hurry."

Shuichi shook his head and smiled reassuringly at his father. "No, it's all right. I'm just feeling sleepy."

Kai straightened up, looking uncertain. "Then maybe we really _should_ stay another night."

"Really, I'm fine. I can sleep in the plane later. It's going to be a long flight, isn't it?"

"Well, yes. We are heading for Switzerland after all."

Shuichi gave his father another smile. "Then, let's go. I heard it's snowing there now. I can't wait to go! I love snow!"

Kai gave an amused chuckle at his son's evident excitement as Shuichi walked out of the room. "I'm glad you like it. It's beautiful when it snows over there. It can get really cold though. Especially at night."

He closed the door after Shuichi and followed him to the elevator. Pressing the 'down' button, he glanced at his son discreetly while waiting for the lift to arrive. He marvelled inwardly as he took in the young man standing next to him.

He was so like his mother-a male version of her. He wasn't quite identical though; Shuichi had inherited his violet eyes. Combining those eyes with his deceased wife's brightly coloured hair gave him a striking appearance, exotic even.

His lips quirked upwards slightly. Well, at least he was _never_ going to complain being ignored-Shuichi would catch attention wherever he went.

He wondered if Shuichi was interested in being a model; he had several friends running a famous modelling agency.

_Ding! _

Well, first things first. He had to search for a suitable school to transfer Shuichi to. He was decided as he stepped into the open elevator; Shuichi would only have the best in his life from now on. He would do anything within his power to make up for his prolonged absence from Shuichi's life and give him happiness.

Minutes later, after Kai had checked them out of the hotel, they were seated comfortably in a cab.

Shuichi silently stared out of the window as the taxi sped all too quickly towards the airport, lost in his thoughts. It had been two weeks since he moved out of Yuki's house.

Several days after that, Yuki's father had excused himself and had flown back to London, declaring that since his job was done, he could no longer afford cancelling business engagements with his foreign partners.

Yuki had said nothing. He had not tried to stop his father…or Shuichi.

Shuichi closed his eyes as his pent up emotions threatened to come forth as tears, willing them back.

Forget. He just wanted forget.

"_Yuki_."

XXX

"What the hell do you want?"

Yuki glared daggers at the person standing at his doorway, feeling extremely pissed off. What is wrong with the world? All he wanted to do was wallow in his misery in the form of a beer-drinking marathon. Ever since Shuichi left, he had trouble sleeping at night.

Every time he closed his eyes, he was all too aware of the silence of the room; that the only breathing he could hear belonged to him. The bedroom that he had once considered his private sanctuary and therefore, open for him and only him had felt so…wrong.

It was devoid of the warm presence he had grown so used to. Shuichi's presence.

After spending two agonizingly long nights attempting to sleep in the bed that now felt overwhelmingly large, Yuki had eventually settled for sleeping on the couch in the living room.

Ever since then, he never entered the bedroom again and left the door closed. The only things he brought out of the room were his cigarettes, his clothes…and the stuck-up prick of an alarm clock that Shuichi so adored.

For a fortnight now, Mika, Tohma and Tatsuha had been playing tag, taking turns showing up at his house every morning-probably to make sure he was still alive. Yuki figured he was 'It'. And he also figured the chances of them dying before he did were almost one hundred percent if they didn't stop playing his mother soon. And fast.

Very likely the only reason he hadn't strangled them yet was because deep down, _extremely _deep down, he knew they were just trying to help. And-okay, fine- maybe it was also because he knew his sadly pathetic state was his own doing.

He had told Shuichi to go. Knowing that naïve fool who believed he didn't deserve love, he would take it literally that Yuki was telling him he was unwanted. Stupid brat. Why had he not learned to appreciate his own worth?

The best joke of the whole sob-story drama was that Yuki didn't even know why he told Shuichi to leave.

Okay, so maybe he thought it was for Shuichi's future. He had wanted Shuichi to experience parental love, understanding how important it was to Shuichi even though Yuki himself had grown up without it-and had turned out to be a perfectly normal sensitive person, thank you.

So he had thought it was better for Shuichi to start afresh somewhere else, where his past and his relationship with Yuki wouldn't haunt him. In short, he had put Shuichi's welfare above what he _wanted_. And was paying dearly for it.

Damn it, he was no martyr. Which ghost of which saint ever possessed him to start behaving like one?

When he found out, Yuki swore he was going to kill himself just to drag them down to the deepest pits of hell with him.

Still, what was done had been done-and Yuki was no fool. Even he knew he had way too much pride to admit he was wrong and ask Shuichi to come back. Which was why he had resorted to drinking. And why he felt ever so annoyed at the blasted doorbell ringing for the second time that morning when it was only his sixth can.

_"Bloody hell. I thought Mika already showed up earlier. Did they mess up their __Nanny Timetable or something?" _

Upon opening the door though, -he had long been deprived the option of just ignoring the doorbell ever since the one time Mika had gotten tired of screaming at him to open up and had calmly picked up a pot of petunias before smashing it through his window-Yuki's eyes narrowed at the unwelcome visitor.

"He's not here and never will be again so haul your ass off my porch before I do it for you."

Not waiting for a reply, Yuki was slamming the door shut when his head was hit from behind with a hard object. It felt like his head had spilt wide open and Yuki definitely heard a cracking sound.

As his vision fluctuated between a blindingly white spark of pain to dark edges, Yuki mildly got his intoxicated mind to think. _"What's with people and flowerpots?"_

He distinctly felt himself crumple to the ground. There were voices. So his assailant wasn't alone; he had an accomplice. As he faded to darkness, cheek on the cold hard floor, Yuki was reminded of another scene taking place on this very porch.

Back then, the sight of the object lying on the floor had violently twisted the already deeply embedded knife further into his heart.

_That_ had taken place two weeks ago.

_Flashback-two weeks earlier _

Shuichi locked the house door and his hand automatically made to slip his keys into the back of his pocket before stopping as a wave of realisation washed over him. Ever so slowly, he brought it out again.

Sadly, he gazed at the set of keys Yuki had duplicated for him. They were no longer his. After all, he no longer lived here. This was Yuki's house. Yuki-_sensei_'s house. Yuki-_san_'s house.

Whatever.

He looked around, wondering where to leave it. He certainly didn't feel like waking Yuki up at this dastardly hour when the sun wasn't even up yet just to hand him a bunch of keys. Remembering what happened the last time he had woken Yuki-or rather, he tried,-Shuichi couldn't help smiling fondly.

Yuki had been so sleepy, he had almost walked into the door and would have most certainly walked into the wall if Shuichi hadn't hurried over to guide him, realising the dangers of a Yuki who hadn't had his morning coffee.

After his third mug, Yuki's eyes had finally managed to crack open wide enough to glare and proceeded to threaten flushing Shuichi down the toilet if he was ever woken up before the sun again.

A forlorn expression took over the smile as Shuichi dragged his wandering mind back to reality. Well, Yuki would never have to worry about that anymore. Shuichi would no longer be waking up in the same house.

Deciding to just slide the keys beneath the door, Shuichi slowly bend down to a crouch. His right hand was clenched tightly around the ring of keys in a death grip, unwilling to let his final connection to Yuki go.

Tears soon began blinding his vision as he cursed inwardly. He cursed at everything and anything, from the pimply clerk at the grocery store to the blade of grass growing so daringly on the lawn right down to his traitorous right hand.

_"Stupid clerk! Stupid weed! Stupid hand! Stupid key! Stupid Yuki!" _

_"Stupid me…" _

He glared defiantly at the mockingly closed door. He felt like bulldozing it open, marching in, blowing up the bedroom door and kicking Yuki. He laughed through his tears as he imagined Yuki's face if he was kicked out from bed in the middle of the night.

_"Why did he ask me to follow Father? I don't want to! I just want to stay here with him. I…like being here. I though he felt the same way. Guess I thought wrong." _

He continued sitting there for who knows how long and was just drying his tears when he heard a car stopping in front of the house. A door slammed and an unidentified figure came hurrying up to him, holding an umbrella. Shuichi blinked. He had not realised it had been raining.

Kai watched his son silently for a moment before shifting the umbrella over him, extending a hand to pull Shuichi up.

Shuichi's eyes met his father's and they came upon an unspoken agreement. He didn't know why and how his father knew to come but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered. Not anymore.

Without even glancing back, Shuichi reached out. And grasped the proffered hand. His father led him to the car while patting his back comfortingly. Both of them got in and drove off.

Neither noticed the silhouette observing them from the window. After a moment, he stepped away from the window. Soon, the front door was opened.

The man stood at the doorway with a cold, unreadable expression as he stared at the object left on the porch. If one looked closely enough though, a hint of loss and grief could be found etched on it. He wordlessly picked the glinting object up. Keys.

Shuichi's keys.

The house door clicked shut without slamming. There was no anger there. Only resignation.

_End flashback_

The darkness spread from the edge of Yuki's vision to the centre, blocking everything out. Yuki vaguely felt himself let go and he lost consciousness.

XXX

"Last call for flight 201. I repeat, Flight 201…."

Shuichi listlessly shifted in the uncomfortable orange plastic chair. He was really doing this. He was going to a completely foreign country and leaving everything behind, including his friends.

Wondering how long Ryuichi and Hiro were going to stay mad at him, Shuichi bit his lip; too distracted to notice the worried glances his father was giving him.

_Flashback _

"Leaving? What do you mean 'leaving'?"

Shuichi looked from Ryuichi to Hiro with a helpless expression. He had earlier introduced his father to them and they, like him, had hit off with him instantly. Shuichi didn't think he had ever seen any parental unit get along so well with their children's friends before.

After having lunch together, his father had to attend to some business and had excused himself, telling them to enjoy the rest of the day together. Shuichi had then taken the opportunity to spill everything and break the news of his imminent departure.

It didn't take Einstein to realise they weren't taking it well. At all.

"Like I said, I'll be following my father back to Switzerland very soon. Please don't be mad…I'm really sorry for not telling you guys earlier. I needed time to think this through…"

Ryuichi narrowed his eyes. "That's not why we're angry! I'm happy you found your father Shuichi, and I'm glad he cares for you enough to want you with him. What I don't understand is why you're in such a hurry. I mean it's not necessary for you to go so soon. Isn't it better if you wait a few more years or at least a few more months? To let things settle down and get to know him better first?"

Hiro nodded in agreement. "I second that. Your father seems like a cool person. I'm sure he would understand if you wanted to wait a while more. Getting his approval wouldn't be a problem. Since that's not preventing you from staying, what is?"

Shuichi squirmed in discomfort at their probing gazes. He sighed; his friends knew him all too well. "There isn't a problem. I just…felt like going. Besides, Yuki asked me to go."

They stared at him in disbelief. "_Yuki_ told you to go? Are you sure you aren't misinterpreting something?"

Shuichi avoided their eyes and stared at his strawberry smoothie instead, stirring it. "Well…yes…"

"Tell us _exactly_ what he said."

And Shuichi did. Starting from Yuki's father's arrival to the last conversation he ever had with Yuki. Silence reigned for a few moments after Shuichi had completed his narration. He continued stirring his drink, fascinated by the pink and white frothy swirls each round of stirring produced. Which was why he never saw his companions exchanging a significant look.

"Shuichi…"

He looked up at their grim expressions. He was almost afraid to respond. Maybe he should just pretend he had gone deaf and dumb from strawberry smoothie overload? Oh, wait. The glass was still full. Damn. There went one perfectly reasonable excuse.

"Yea?"

"You…"

"…are the most idiotic, moronic dense imbecile of a nincompoop the world has ever had the misfortune of creating with a suicidal self-sacrificing complex that would probably result in your death of complete stupidity."

"…"

"Sorry."

Ryuichi sighed. "Shuichi, look at me."

Shuichi obligingly complied.

"You're apologising to the wrong person."

_End flashback _

Shuichi frowned.

Even now, he still didn't get what his best friends had been trying to tell him. Apologise to Yuki? Whatever for? _He_ was the one who told him to go. Unless…he had wanted Shuichi to protest? Dare he hope Yuki had wanted him to say 'no'? To say he would choose Yuki over his father?

But that couldn't be. Yuki was always so cool and assured, confident he had the world bowing to his every whim. There was no way Yuki felt insecure…right? It couldn't be that Yuki needed to hear Shuichi say he wanted to stay with his own ears…could it?

Shuichi grimaced and massaged his temples. Yuki was right; thinking didn't suit him.

* * *

I know, I know. It's a really blah chapter. 

Truth to be told, I originally intended this chapter to be the last but it turned out too long and so, I decided to split them into two. I've actually finished the final chapter as well but I haven't had the time and energy to go through it (and this one was simply done as well. So bear with me if there are typing or/and grammar errors. Feel free to point it out but please, don't flame me. I promise you, I have enough stress.)

It's too late for this story but next time, I'm definitely going to get someone to beta for me. It's just too time consuming and really now, reading my own story again is more than a trifle boring.

Well then, please give me stress reducing and smile inducing reviews! Thanks to all!


	17. Scene 17

Thanks to all who reviewed! I am still in a state of constant hyperventilation and sleepless nights as the interview dates draw closer and closer… (shudders) therefore, please excuse any weirdness coming from me! Hahaha…Many thanks to Loveless19 and Kittey Rin for their much appreciated offer to beta for me! If I ever write another story and find myself in need of a beta, I'll know who to look for. LOL. Thanks!

Let us now proceed to the seventeenth and final scene of Stained Glass Masquerade. Dum dum dum dum…

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Aya has never, and will never, own Gravitation. Even if she were to drown the world with crocodile tears.

* * *

**Scene 17-And now we close the curtain, on the Stained Glass Masquerade**

Kai frowned as Shuichi let out yet another sigh. Although his son insisted he was fine and had been pretending to be as happy as he claimed he felt, he wasn't falling for it. Oh, Shuichi was a pretty darn fine actor when he wanted to be. But it wasn't enough to block his evident inner demons eating at him.

Maybe this was what the world dubbed as paternal instincts?

"Shuichi."

He didn't seem to hear him.

"Shuichi!"

Nope, Shuichi's mind was definitely still strolling down memory lane.

Kai examined him with an assessing look as he contemplated on what could be bothering Shuichi. He could classify parting with his two friends as the cause of Shuichi's distress. Kai didn't blame him; Hiro and Ryuichi were both fine young men that he heartily approved of. But he knew it wasn't the reason. He knew it had something to do with Yuki.

He was aware their relationship was somewhat different than that of a normal teacher-student one. Yuki's father had told him as much and even if he didn't, he could see it for himself; he could tell from the protective way Yuki behaved towards Shuichi, could see it in his body language, the subtle softening of his steel-hard eyes when turned to him.

As for Shuichi, he could tell his son retuned those feelings.

And he, he did not condemn such relationships. To him, love was love. Who was mankind to judge whether it was right or wrong when it did people no harm, but brought contentment and a sense of belonging?

Kai's mobile phone suddenly started vibrating and startled him out of his musings-he had completely forgotten his mobile was on silent mode. He dug it out and flipped it open, frowning at the unidentified number.

"Ishiharu Kai speaking."

"…."

"WHAT?

Shuichi was jolted out of his reverie by his father's sudden exclamation. Curious, he tilted his head towards Kai, watching him. His father's face was the epitome of shock and horror.

"What have you done?" Kai seemed to listen to the other person on the line for a few moments before shaking his head violently. "All right. Don't do anything stupid. I'll be there as soon as possible."

Snapping his mobile shut, his father hurriedly got up, brows furrowed with worry. Looking over at Shuichi, he said, "I'm really sorry but some last minute complications turned up. You just sit here and wait for me. If I'm not back by the time of our flight's departure, just get on the plane first."

Shuichi frowned. "But we're supposed to leave in about," he glanced at his wristwatch, "forty minutes."

Kai ran a hand through his hair, looking distracted. "Don't worry, I'll be right back."

Before Shuichi could say anything else, his father had hastily walked off, frantically punching numbers on his mobile.

Shuichi just stared after him before heaving a sigh. What else could he do?

XXX

"Please fasten your safety belts and turn off all electrical gadgets, including mobile phones, laptops…"

Shuichi fiddled with the safety belt he had already buckled on, eyes anxiously scanning the face of each boarding passenger. His father was not among them.

A petite air stewardess smiled at him politely and asked him if he needed assistance. Shuichi just smiled back, shaking his head. He held his smile until she moved on to the next passenger before dropping it.

He sighed. _"Oh well…looks like Father's going to have to catch the next flight…I won't be surprised if he owns a private jet. I never knew it was possible to have so many zeroes in a single bank account. I'm glad he already gave me the address of his house and some money. Lucky he was so paranoid about us somehow getting separated that he gave me a full list of instructions…"_

Shuichi resumed staring out of the small rectangular window. He pondered on what Ryuichi and Hiro were doing now, and mused on the safety of letting K have free access to a wide range of guns. He hoped Mika and Tohma would look after Yuki and that Tatsuha wouldn't kill his alarm clock. And Yuki…he wondered if he would ever see Yuki again.

There was a slight increase in volume as there was a disturbance at the boarding entrance; there were murmurs of apologetic voices for being late and the sound of luggage being wheeled in.

Shuichi didn't hear anything. He had fallen asleep.

XXX

Yuki regained consciousness with a sudden start, his head throbbing painfully. He groaned and gingerly touched the back of his head, wincing. Did his assailants _really _have to hit him that hard? It felt like he had been hit in the medulla oblongata with a 5kg dumbbell. Well, at least he didn't feel any blood, though there was now a sore, sensitive spot.

The whirring sound wasn't helping him either. It was, in fact, practically in resonance with the dull throbbing, increasing the amplitude of it. Other than that though, Yuki was actually feeling just peachy- wherever he was, it was air-conditioned and the only noise pollution besides the whirring was the sound of soft breathing.

Just a damn minute. "_Whirring_? _Breathing_?"

Yuki's eyes flew open and took in the surroundings before his searching look fell upon the sleeping figure in the seat next to his. His mouth hung open in disbelief for the first time in his life as he realised he was in an aeroplane headed for only hell knows where with only a drooling Shuichi as an explanation.

Yuki fell back to his comfortingly familiar habit as the implications sunk in; he swore.

"WHAT THE –bleeping- BLOODY –bleepbleepbleep- HELL IS THIS?"

XXX

Shuichi jolted awake as a raspy shout echoed through the otherwise silent plane. His gaze shot towards the source of the din and his eyes grew saucer like as he attempted coherent speech. "Yu…Yu…Yu…Yuki!"

'Yu-Yu-Yu-Yuki' gave a snort of impatience, out of pure habit more than anything else. "No, you brat, its Santa Klutz."

Shuichi bristled. "You don't have to be so mean about it! I'm just surprised to find you here." 'Surprise' being the understatement of the century.

"Yea, duh. I'm the one who was knocked out, kidnapped and thrown on a bloody plane only to wake up and discover myself hundreds of feet up in the air, trapped in an aluminium cage with blades for wings. If anyone has the right to be shocked, I do. Bloody hell. What did I ever do to deserve this?"

Shuichi frowned. His emotional roller coaster ride was now reaching its peak. And that peak was labelled as 'anger' with a flashing neon sign. He started shouting, "WELL, I CERTAI-!"

"Sir, please lower your voice. The other passengers are sleeping and you are disturbing them."

Shuichi cringed in embarrassment as he realised the whole plane could hear him. He meekly looked at the displeased stewardess standing next to his seat with apologetic eyes. "Sorry, I'll keep it down now."

She nodded briskly before walking away. "All right then. Enjoy the rest of the ride."

Shuichi took a deep breath to calm his frazzled nerves and by the time he exhaled, his anger had quickly dissipated. He turned to Yuki to continue their discussion but Yuki wasn't looking at him.

XXX

Yuki felt something in his jackets pocket rustle as he moved about. While Shuichi was speaking to the stewardess, he brought it out and unfolded it. It was a letter.

Scanning through the contents, Yuki felt anger blossom. The anger was rapidly replaced with irritation, aggravation, frustration, disbelief and finally, _amusement_. Yuki couldn't help it. It was so utterly brainless and completely ridiculous, his shoulders shook with silent laughter.

Noticing Shuichi's look of confusion and curiosity- not a good combination, Yuki passed him the letter.

Shuichi took it and read.

* * *

_Dear Yuki Eiri,_

_Congratulations! You have just been nominated first place for the World's Coldest Bastard Award! Your prize is a delicious pink haired, purple eyed, underage high school student! Since there wasn't any other around, we have decided to just grab the nearest candidate and we are, therefore, proud to present Shindou Shuichi! Enjoy!_

_PS: Just tell him you love him and stop angsting already, you adorable bastard, you. It gives off depressive auras and tends to make people suicidal. Which isn't really all that healthy for mankind's population count as you might think._

_PSS: We have tied Patchy-Poo to Alarm Clock-kun with a 3-inch thick nylon rope and are currently holding it hostage. So, don't get any ideas on airmailing missiles, nuclear bombs, torpedoes, etc. Just concentrate on letting Shuichi see stars or something._

_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_Dear Shindou Shuichi,_

_Shindou-san, we are pleased to inform you that you have been newly dubbed 'Sir Nincompoop' under the order of the 'Totally ten feet deep in mental self abuse, Insanely into masochism and Self-sacrificing because I'm worthless line of thought' Society, or more infamously recognized as the TIS Society._

_We have decided on your award in the form of a private gorgeously blond, mesmerizingly golden eyed, sadistic glacial-like bastard of a qualified teacher with a PhD in biology in the form of Yuki Eiri._

_Feel free to bite and scratch him as you please. Of course, these are merely suggestions. Should you feel there is a more…beneficial way to enjoy your limited edition toy, you are more than welcome to do so. Peace out, brother!_

_PS: My son, why didn't you ever tell me you slept in the same bed as this Yuki character? You and I are going to have a long talk about this, young man. Don't you ever try keeping things like this from your father again; understand? Good. Now, go play._

_PSS: Hey Shuichi, have you kissed and made up yet? NO? Why are you reading this then? GO! Do more…interesting stuff._

_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_Dear Yuki Eiri and Shindou Shuichi,_

_Enclosed within are two tickets for return flights back to Narita Airport, Japan. It is our duty to inform you that the tickets come with the awards and are therefore, free of charge. We sincerely wish enjoyment for your trip to Switzerland._

_Toddles!_

_From: The Committee Of the 'Yuki and Shuichi's Forbidden Passionate Love Fan Club'_

* * *

Shuichi's jaw had dropped wide open enough to reach the floor by the time he finished reading the letter, blushing mildly. Their suggestions were so…crude. But wait-Yuki was laughing. He wasn't angry. Did this mean…Yuki was fine with it?

Shuichi's eyes shifted to look at Yuki and he started to question him, only to close his mouth again without saying anything, uncertain. Yuki had stopped laughing now, even though an amused smile was still playing on his lips.

He had been watching Shuichi carefully and when Shuichi turned bright hopeful eyes on him, Yuki felt his breath hitch. Really, what was he thinking? He had almost lost Shuichi because of his damn pride. Although he hated to admit it, they had a point. It was time to start behaving more like a human in contrast to a mouldy plank of wood.

Yuki gave Shuichi a casual smirk, though the warmth in his eyes betrayed his true emotions. "So, what do you think? Should we accept the award?"

Shuichi felt his heart do a little victory dance as happiness swept through him, unable to fight back a giddy smile. "Well, let's see…we're already on the plane. Why not take a vacation for about a week or so? It's almost time for my semester break anyway."

Yuki leaned closer, and his voice was husky. "Somehow, I knew you'd see it my way. Besides, we shouldn't disappoint our so called loyal fans now should we?"

The letter fell to the floor, forgotten, as Yuki pulled Shuichi into his arms. Shuichi happily snuggled into them. It had only been two weeks since he had last seen Yuki but it felt longer than that. A lot longer. Shuichi last coherent thought before he drowned himself in the sweet delight of Yuki's kiss was _"I'm home."_

Neither one of them noticed the two tickets fluttering in the air for a moment before landing on the plane floor, face out. If they had, several people were going to be murdered in Japan that day.

The two tickets boasted identical prints. Their flight departure was highlighted in bold. The date? One _month_ later.

XXX

"Cheers to a well accomplished mission!"

The table of seven erupted into enthusiastic clapping and wolf whistling. Their fellow diners at the restaurant jumped a little at the amount of racket produced.

Hiro stood up from his seat, goblet in hand (it was only grape juice but nobody had to know that.) He lifted it into the air, drawing attention to himself before proudly proclaiming, "I would like to toast to the newest member of the 'Yuki and Shuichi's Forbidden Passionate Love Fan Club'. Everybody, let's welcome Ishiharu Kai!"

More clapping.

The waiters exchanged nervous glances with one another; each too scared to tell the rowdy party to lower their volume.

Kai stood up as Hiro took his seat, goblet in hand as well (his was the real thing, high class red wine. Then again, _he_ wasn't underage.) "I would like to appreciate the goodness that Hiro and Ryuichi here have kindly shared with me by opening my eyes towards such sparkling, beautiful love and therefore enabled this joyous occasion to happen."

K sniffled a little at the touching speech and dabbed his eyes discreetly with the edge of the silk tablecloth. "Hear, hear! Let's all drink to this!"

Unnoticed by the Scary Seven, everyone in the restaurant moved two feet away from them.

"Really though, we have to thank Tatsuha here for the idea of knocking Yuki out and throwing him into the aeroplane. Of course, we also have to thank Hiro and Ryuichi for actually carrying the plan out."

"Aww…Kai-san, you're flattering us. All we did was knock his lights out. We owe it to your connections and quick thinking for making it possible for Yuki to board the plane in your place. Though I must say, it gave us a shock when Yuki-sensei suddenly keeled over like that. Didn't it, Ryuichi?"

"That was your fault, Hiro. I _told_ you that no matter how demonic and sadistic Yuki-sensei seems to be, his head isn't all _that_ hard. Luckily Mika is a doctor-it would have been a nightmare trying to explain what happened if we had to bring him to the hospital."

"I can't begin telling you what a fright I got when you called saying Eiri had passed out! You could have really hurt him! What were you thinking?"

"…"

"Sorry"

"…"

"So…which flowerpot did you use anyway? Personally, I feel that the white ceramic pot with the petunias were the best."

"…."

"It was tulips that did it for us."

"Still, a flowerpot wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I suggested to render him unconscious. I was thinking more along the lines of Mika drugging him…"

"…"

"Oh…Oops."

"Its fortunate Eiri-san is particular about keeping things tidy. It made throwing a last minute luggage together easy. It was still cutting it real close though. I thought we had lost our chance when the customs officer refused to let us through."

"Oh yeah! I remember that part! It's all thanks to K and his gun! Come on, Ryuichi, everyone! Let's toast to K's gun!"

Seven chairs were scrapped back rather loudly as its seven occupants stood up simultaneously. "Here's to the hard work and magnificence of K's Magnum. Cheers to Magnum-chan!"

"Cheers!"

The last of the customers hastily made their way elegantly out of the restaurant. They were definitely not running. Why? One simply couldn't look elegant while running, that's why. The waiters lost their last ounce of courage and dashed out whimpering as the Scary Seven took turns passing an evil-looking Magnum round the table, each polishing it almost lovingly.

No wonder thirteen was an unlucky number. Look at what just seven could do.  
****

**_Stained Glass Masquerade-The End_**

**_13th October 2006 _**

* * *

It's finished! My precious first ever multi-chaptered baby is now complete (does a little mad dance of joy) Of course, I'm kind of sad it's now over but still, it's an accomplishment (for me anyway) That being said, thanks to all my faithful readers (especially those who have been following the story from it's very first chapter) and even more so to those who have kindly been reviewing it! I couldn't have made it if it weren't for your encouraging, smile-inducing, helpful feedback! (Seeing as how lazy I would have been to update if it weren't for constant positive reviews telling me to get my lazy bum to produce the next part) 

Well, in correspondence to a landslide majority for a happily-ever-after ending, a happy ending is what I wrote. I hope you guys like it! (jumps up and down like a delirious lunatic with a maniacal grin plastered to face) Even though it's now finished, I'll be one very happy Aya-chan if I were to get reviews as presents! LOL. Oh, that reminds me- anybody up for an epilogue?


	18. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: **Nah.

* * *

** Epilogue**

"It's not snowing."

Yuki only rolled his eyes at Shuichi's mournful tone. "Thanks for the weather report, but I can see it for myself."

"Yu-ki!"

Said former teacher chose to ignore that almost whining tone, looking around for something to distract Shuichi with. After being sent to Switzerland, which was where they were now, they had enjoyed sightseeing very much. The only glitch to this perfect picture was that he had completely underestimated Shuichi's obsession with snow.

It had been snowing when they arrived but by the time they had reached heir hotel, it was almost completely dark. Yuki had been wiped out and exhausted, wanting nothing more than to be allowed to rest in peace. That had been the only reason he had promised Shuichi he would play in the snow with him the following day.

Fortunately-or unfortunately, depending on which side of the hill Yuki was looking from- snow had stopped falling by the next morning. It didn't snow the whole day, and the day after. And the day after the day after. In fact, it didn't snow for almost three weeks.

And every single damned day, Shuichi would make Yuki take a walk in the park. Just in case it starts snowing, Shuichi said. Yuki snorted. If the brat wanted snow so much, they could always just go back to Japan, where he could go to the Snow House in the amusement park.

But noooooooooo, Shuichi wanted 'atmosphere.' Now, Yuki didn't know what kind of 'atmosphere' Shuichi meant. The only 'atmosphere' he was currently 'enjoying' was cold, freezing and basically a pain in the arse.

Pausing in his long, even stride, Yuki stuffed his almost numb hands into the pockets of his coat, watching as his breath came out in little white misty puffs. For a moment, he watched as Shuichi happily skipped-yes, _skipped_- and the briefest of all smiles touched his frozen lips for a nanosecond.

Although he hadn't been too happy about the idea of being sent here at first (Yuki detested travelling and any form of movement that required too much energy), he couldn't deny that it was doing Shuichi good. Already, the haunted, hollow look Shuichi always wore without even realizing had melted; all traces of tension and stress had ebbed away and it made Shuichi seem somewhat younger and more innocent. Just like how teenagers his age was supposed to look.

Glancing at his wristwatch, Yuki decided no matter how much Shuichi was enjoying himself, walking aimlessly for almost three hours just for the sake of waiting for snow was a tad too much. He called out to his companion. "Shuichi, we're going back."

Shuichi spun around to look at Yuki, a petulant expression of disappointment and reluctance on his face. "Ehhhhhhhhh? But Yuki, it's not snowing yet!"

"I can see that. Come on, it's almost night. I'm hungry and cold and I can't even feel my toes anymore. If you're not coming, I'm leaving you here."

"But….but…"

Yuki walked away in the opposite direction before he fell victim to Shuichi's cursed puppy eyes. Shuichi jogged a little to keep up with Yuki, still making his protests heard. "But it's our last day here! And it's definitely going to snow soon!"

A pause. "It hasn't snowed in almost three weeks, Shuichi. Its practically spring. What makes you think it's going to snow now?"

"Um…coz coz…I want it to!"

"Yuki!" was Shuichi's indignant squeal when all Yuki did was give a snort before continuing on his way, his pace faster that ever.

"Let's stay out for just a little while more? Pleeeeeeeease? Okay? Yuki! Are you even listening to-omph!"

Shuichi was cut short as he walked straight into Yuki's back. Rubbing his injured nose, he asked, "Why did you stop so suddenly, Yuki? That-"

Ignoring Shuichi's words, Yuki merely pointed upwards. "Looks like God decided to take pity on your stupidity."

Shuichi gazed up into the sky, holding his hands out to catch the first fall of snow. It was white. Everything was getting covered with soft, downy snowflakes, descending ever so gracefully from the heavens above, first dancing gently one way, and then the other. From a distance, Shuichi could hear the excited squeals of children along with the joyful barking of a family dog resounding in the otherwise silent air.

Almost giddy with joy, he turned towards Yuki. "Look Yuki, snow!"

Yuki smiled at his childlike demeanour before he could stop himself. Really, he was smiling too much to be healthy nowadays. With a careless shrug, Yuki decided to blame it on the snow. "I can tell."

"Snow! It's snow!" Shuichi paused his twirling in the snow to throw Yuki a glance. "Let's have a snowball fight!"

"No."

"Why not? Fine, how about snow angels?"

"No."

"Yuki!"

Yuki smirked at Shuichi's exasperated exclamation. Maybe he hadn't gone completely soft yet.

Shuichi frowned a moment at Yuki's uncooperativeness before an idea hit him. He gave Yuki a million-watt smile that made him instantly worried. "Yuki, let's go buy some ice-cream."

XXX

Half an hour later, Yuki was completely befuddled.

He was holding an ice-cream cone in each of his hands, watching Shuichi as he cheerfully bought something from a store vendor. Falling into step with Shuichi, he glanced at the transparent plastic bag Shuichi was carrying: two cotton candies, one pink, one yellow, some liquorice and a bag of fruit-flavoured gummies.

"Shuichi, please don't tell me we're going to eat all of this junk for dinner."

Shuichi only grinned in delight. "No silly! You'll see."

And so Yuki watched. With two ice-cream cones in his hands.

For once, Yuki was grateful for the icy weather for preventing the ice-cream from becoming sticky puddles of goo. Seated on a bench, he watched as Shuichi struggled rolling huge balls of snow. He mounted a large ball of snow onto a larger ball of snow and repeated with another one. Shuichi stuck twigs onto the two snowmen he had built with pride and motioned for Yuki to come over. "What do you think?"

Yuki inspected hem critically, looking up and down. "..." He said slowly, "Shuichi, you forgot to give them faces."

Shuichi responded with a "No I did not!" and busied himself with the sweets he had just bought. He opened the bags of the cotton candies first, lovingly arranging the yellow one on the head of the taller snowman before sticking the pink onto the other. Then, he opened the bag of gummies, selecting mango gummies to go with the yellow 'haired' snowman. Stepping back to survey his work after pressing two blackcurrants 'eyes' to go with the other snowman, Shuichi plastered liquorice for mouths on both snowmen and nodded with satisfaction. "Almost there."

He took the ice-cream cones from Yuki's hands. "Now, for the noses!"

Yuki stared at him. "You can't be ser…" He trailed off when Shuichi promptly mashed the ice-cream cones horizontally onto the snowmen's 'faces'. Shuichi proudly proclaimed, "There, I'm done!" before turning back to Yuki. "What do you think _now_, Yuki?"

Yuki stared in utmost horror and revulsion at the…_things_. "Shuichi, why are they molesting each other?"

Indeed, that was how it looked like: Shuichi had made the snowmen face to face, with the twigs (their arms) on each other. Insulted, Shuichi huffily said, "They're not molesting each other, they're hugging! Look," Shuichi gestured at the taller snowman, "this is you and this," he gestured at the other," is me! See? They're going to kiss."

Yuki was at loss for words for a moment. So _that's_ what they were doing. Then Shuichi's words sank in. Smirking inwardly, he neared the snowmen, placing himself so that Shuichi was on the opposite side of the snowmen. "This is most definitely not me; I don't have a Pinocchio-sharp nose," he said casually, plucking both cones out, one after the other.

Shuichi yelled a hurt "hey!" when Yuki sent the ice-cream cones sailing over his shoulder but was cut off when Yuki leaned forward and tugged the edge of his muffler, catching Shuichi as he fell forward in surprise. Yuki's eyes were warm with laughter, something that didn't happen very often. "How are we supposed to kiss with noses like that?"

As dusk turned to night, Shuichi was in Yuki's arms as the snow silently fell about them, obscuring them and their snowmen from view. Yuki silently agreed that once in a while, having this sort of atmosphere was most satisfying. And judging from the way Shuichi's lips were responding to his, his pink-haired brat agreed as well

* * *

The title of the sequel is **Phantom Butterfly **and here's a little summary:  
**Summary:**  
Set six years after Stained Glass Masquerade, Shuichi is in training as a child psychologist and Yuki is one of Japan's leading fashion designers with a personal assistant who, in Shuichi's opinion, has more than just professional interest in Yuki. Yuki being Yuki brushes it off and says he's over imagining things. One day, Shuichi meets a new patient - six-year-old Rika who is being hospitalised due to being abused by her father. The closer he gets to Rika, the more Shuichi sinks into the dark memories of his past-something Yuki isn't too happy about. Will Shuichi ever get to escape the ghosts of his past, or will it forever haunt him?  



End file.
